Sing Me A Song
by NagiraAkisa
Summary: Roxas and Xion has been best friends since forever. But will two singing competitions, the infamous school witch and playboy going to destroy their friendship forever? Or will they fight their way to change their friendship to a whole new level?
1. Amber

**This story is a Kingdom Hearts version of a story I wrote for a competition. It's theme was 'Be The Champion' and it made me thought for a story for about a week. That's why I didn't work on 'Sunset Angels' for a long time. Anyway, It's originally a short story, but I'll add in more in this story. Another thing I would like to add is that, Twilight Town in surrounded by mountains and woods. I know, in the game it isn't like that. But I had to change the setting a bit to fit the story. Roxas and Xion and other 2 OCs are the main characters in here, but I'll put in Sora, Kairi, Axel, Larxene, Riku and Namine too. Don't worry fans, cause I'm a fan myself.**

**Lastly, sorry for any mistakes! I didn't really took a good check. Hope you will enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its characters! Except the OCs and the story. (I won't repeat this in other chapter again.)  
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Sing Me A Song  
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Chapter 1: Amber

The early sun ray of spring broke through the night shade, slowly coloured a little town into a tint of pure amber. Birds of all kind woke up by the day's first light and left their 'nesty' home in search of their breakfast. They flew in small groups of their own kind and chirped out a sweet melody in unison; a smooth melody that relaxed every ears that could hear. The birds made a few somersaults in the air and flew in a wide zigzag path, flew past every soundless house in the town.

In a certain house, a small yellow chocobo chirped softly as it watched the group of chirping small birds flew past the window and over the houses, back to the woods. The chocobo flapped its wings and flew to the head of the bed, landed next to a big bulge under the blue blanket. It chirped again and pecked a peach coloured skin that slid out of the blanket softly. The bulge groaned and shifted. A hand appeared from the top side of the blanket and pulled it down, revealed a teenage girl's face and her body that's up from her hips. The girl made a little kick and the blanket fell onto the wooden floor.

Her short jet black hair was messy and tangled at some places, her lids were still closed and her pinkish lips were slightly apart, blowing in and out a few air. She wore a white spaghetti-strapped shirt and a beige shorts as pyjamas. She was lying on her side, and one of the straps fell off from her shoulder and slid onto her arm due to the toss and turn she had last night.

The chocobo pecked her hand a few more times and finally, the girl opened her eyes. Ocean blue orbs met a familiar chocobo who cocked its head to the side and back up. It walked towards its owner and greeted her by chirping sweetly. The girl smiled and stroked its little head lightly.

"Good morning, Chobi. What made you woke up this early, dear?" The teen said while she brushed a strand of hair away from her face. The chocobo chirped and opened its wings before flew to the window frame, staring out to the outside world before turned its head back to its owner. The girl pushed herself up by the elbows and looked at her pet.

"What is it, Cho?" The ravenette asked the chocobo.

"Kweh… Kweh…" The chocobo used its beak and tapped the window glass thrice. "Kweh… Kweh…"

The girl slid her legs to the side of her bed and walked towards the window. She pushed the crank's handle sideway up and pushed the casement window opened. Cold gentle spring wind greeted her face, blowing her hair backward. She took a deep breath and leaned herself out all the way she can.

Her house was the highest in the area. She didn't lived in the town because her mother prefer to live at a quiet place, so they built their own house on a cliff which is only about a 5 minutes' walk to the town. Her house has two floors, unlike the riches that have floors up to three or even four. At the ground floor has the living room, a kitchen-and-dining-room, stairs to the second floor and an office. Her room was on the second floor, which also has the master bedroom, her elder brother's bedroom and a bathroom which her whole family shared. Her bedroom's window got the best view of the town, woods and the mountain surrounded the whole town. If she has a balcony, she will be able to overlook the town even better.

"Ah~ It's beautiful," The girl said in awe.

The whole town was covered in amber, in many different layers of shades. She spotted a group of birds flying into the woods, but she couldn't make out their species because they were only appeared to be a few black dots for her. There were still a few mists here and there above the woods and the mountains, but they'll clear away in another minute or two.

The girl pulled herself in and turned to look at her pet chocobo, who's still standing on the window frame.

"You woke me up this early just want me to see the scenery, do you?"

"Kweh." replied Chobi.

The teen smiled and stroked the chocobo's head again. "Thank you so much. It's so hard to see such a gorgeous sunrise every day. But, I still prefer the sunset."

She retreated from the window and towards her study table which is only a few footsteps to her left. She pulled open a drawer and retrieved out a pen and a notebook with the picture of a seaside on the cover. She flipped through a few pages and stopped at a blank page. Pushed the butt of the pen to get the tip out, she wrote down a few words:

_As the sun paints the town in amber,_

_A bird flew by with a piece of apple,_

_And when you think that you've seen it all,_

_You don't realize you're very small._

_As the wind blew onto your face,_

_You don't know that the tree leaves sang,_

'_Cause you always think you've seen it all,_

_But now it'll prove you're wrong._

"That should do it for awhile. I might change them in the future," She closed the notebook and placed it back into the drawer before placing other papers and notepad above it. Making sure the notebook was well hidden from sight; the teen skipped happily to her wardrobe and pulled out her school uniform. It consists of a white button-down shirt with a yellowish white emblem on the breast pocket, a short dark blue tie, and a short dark blue skirt that ended an inch above her knees. Its normal length was until mid thigh, but she made it longer because she scared of showing off too much skin.

She stripped and slid the garments on before examined herself in the full length mirror that hung on the wall which is next to her wardrobe. She took her hair brush and combed her hair tidy and also untangled some knots at the end of her hair. After that, she slipped on her socks.

Snatched her light shoulder school bag off the floor and dropped her hand phone into it, the teen exited her room and descended down to the kitchen/dining room.

"Good morning, Xion." A gentle voice greeted her as she walked into the dining room.

The girl, Xion, smiled and greeted back, "Good morning, mom."

"Fancy a pancake or two?" Xion's mom asked as she flipped a pancake into the air and caught it.

"Just the usual, mom," Xion said and sat down on her usual spot, the first chair at the right side of the table. She poured herself a glass of fresh milk when her mom placed a plate of two buttermilk pancake and poured maple syrup on them.

Xion thanked her mom and ate her breakfast.

"Where's Axel?" Xion asked and gulped down the remaining milk into her stomach.

"Sleeping, like the usual. School won't start till 7.30 am, right? Just let him sleep, he must be tired from the part time job he had last night." Her mom replied as she poured buttermilk onto the round pan and sprinkled a few raisins onto it.

"Ya. But he should make sure he won't be late for school again. I'm done," Xion said and placed her empty glass and plate into the water sink. She exited the kitchen and decided to go brush her teeth then go to school. Why do so many people brushed their teeth before eating? Won't that make their teeth dirty again? Weird…

Xion almost reached the second floor when her 4 years older brother walked down the stair, shirtless, again.

"Wear some shirt, will you bro!" Xion told him.

"Why? It's not like you never seen it before. Just go use the bathroom and make it quick, slowpoke." Axel teased and scratched the back of his head, messing up his long and porcupine- spine like red hair a bit.

"I'm not a slowpoke!"

Axel chuckled and said, "Ya right." He walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Xion's face went red and she shouted, "Well… Well… Don't say that ever again, girlfriendless guy!" She heard Axel chuckled and he replied, "I'm not girlfriendless, it's just there's so many girls that love me I don't know who to pick."

Xion pouted angrily and defeated. She slammed the bathroom door shut loudly behind her. Axel smiled victoriously when he heard the slam.

His mother placed his breakfast in front of him and said, "You really should stop teasing Xion. She is your little sister after all."

"Come on, mom. It's only a small tease. It won't hurt her much." Axel said and started his meal. His mom sighed softly and turned to pack up her children's lunch.

Just then, the door bell rang. "I'll get it," Axel volunteered and opened the front door. Outside on the front porch stood a blonde boy with spiky hair. He looked around the same age as Xion but a bit taller than her.

The boy smiled and greeted the tall redhead in front of him, "Hey Axel. Is Xion ready?"

"Let me check," Axel turned to the staircase and shouted, "Hey Slowpoke! Kiddo is here!" His shout was so loud; it could shake the whole town.

"I'm not a slowpoke! How many times do you want me to tell you that!" Xion shouted a reply and ran down the stairs, luckily she didn't trip then fall.

Axel smirked, "Just take your bag and go to school." Xion pouted again and took her bag and lunch from the kitchen, wore her black sneaker before exited her house.

"Axel just won't stop be such a jerk," Xion said as she straighten her clothes and flung the shoulder strap of her bag around her shoulder.

Her blonde friend chuckled and said, "He just never change."

"Oh, he will change. When pigs fly." Xion said and the boy laughed along with her.

Both of them walked side by side and followed the rocky path in the woods that led to town. Xion turned her head to her friend and said, "You know, Roxas. You don't have to come to my house every day. We live so far away from each other."

The boy, Roxas, shrugged and replied, "It's okay. A morning walk is nice."

"Oh. Okay then," Xion said and looked back to the path.

Roxas Hikari has been her friends ever since kindergarten and never been apart from each other since. They spent all of their time with each other and the only time they were apart is when they are going home.

Xion turned her head slightly and looked at her best friend. His blonde hair was very spiky and shone lightly under the light. He has a pair of blue eyes like her and a smile that always appeared on his face. He wore a white button-down shirt with the same emblem on the breast pocket, a loose dark blue tie, a dark blue pants and a pair of black sneaker. One of his hands was in his pocket while the other one held his school bag over his shoulder.

They talked about their previous classes they had for the rest of the journey to school and reached there with 30 minutes to spare. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as they walked to their lockers.

"What's your first class?" Roxas asked as he opened his locker, which is just right next to Xion's.

"Literature. If the teacher isn't that boring, it would be a very interesting subject," Xion said and shut her locker close after she took out her textbook and a storybook.

"You're lucky. Mr. Zexion isn't that bad. I have History and those girls just won't stop looking at me. I can hardly concentrate!" Roxas took out his super thick history textbook and closed his locker too.

Xion giggled and said, "That because you just won't stop be adorable."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Roxas teased.

Xion smiled. "That's up to you." Was her answer.

Slowly, the hallway started to get crowded with students. Talking, shoes squeaking and shutting lockers filled the whole hallway. The school bell rang, indicated the school starts for the day. Roxas and Xion bid each other farewell and went to their individual classes.

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**That's the end of this chapter! I wish all of you enjoy this story. And to prevent people to be curious with their names in this chapter, here's the list:**

**Xion Zayas**

**Axel Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**The full names of the other characters will be posted in the chapter which they will show up.**

**Thank you for reading! Please review. ^^  
**


	2. The Real Witch

**I'm Back! I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! DX Well... My school is finished. So I'll have time to continue the stories. That means more updating! XD**

**Firstly, I'll love to thanks BlendInTheDarkness, arkee, and NightfallSky for your awesome review. Love you guys!**

**Hopefully, someone would fav or alert this story, so I can post their name here for everyone to see!**

**I would also love to thanks everyone who read this story. Thx u guys! N girls!  
**

**Enough blabbering. Here's the new chapter. Hope you all will like it! Sorry because its short... n might have mistakes...  
**

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**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 2: The _real_ Witch

It was lunch time. Xion exited her Art class with Namine Kaneko and walked to their locker.

"Hey Xion. Wanna eat lunch together with me and the others like last week? Since we all only got to eat together once a week." Namine asked.

Xion smiled and accepted directly. "Sure! I miss eating lunch with you guys! And I would like to hear what stupid things Sora did again." Once a week, all of Xion's close friends got the same lunch hour and got to eat together. In the other three days, she ate lunch with Roxas only and another with Kairi, Riku and Roxas.

"Me too! We must make Kairi tell us everything that happened! Oh! Here's my locker. See you in the canteen?" Namine asked as she stopped in front of her locker.

"Ya. Of course. But you guys get the seat," Xion told her. Namine smiled and nodded.

Xion smiled back and decided to wait for Roxas at her locker. She told him to find her there during their English class together. Except for Arts and Literature class, they both have the same classes together. She put her sketchbook and 2B pencils into her locker then zipped open her bag. She took her lunch bag out and closed the locker, only to come face to face with none other but the school most popular girl, Natalie Rasp. Her yellow eyes eying her like a poisonous snake.

Natalie flicked her waist length golden hair and said, "Oh. Isn't it Xion Zayas, the witch on the cliff. You know, if the newspaper state that an ugly girl died from falling off the cliff one day, I won't be surprise that she's you. Instead, I'll be thanking Kingdom Hearts for finally got rid of that old hag." She laughed and her 'friends' joined in.

Xion bundled up her fists. She wanted to punch her pretty face so much that it hurts. Just because she is rich and pretty doesn't mean she can just go around and called people by names. She is such a bi- jerk! Xion tried her best not to say bad words. But if Natalie continues to be an annoying and selfish witch, she will burst out every bad word her beloved brother, Axel, taught her.

'Who's the real witch around here?' Xion cursed in her mind.

"What do you want, Rasp?" Xion asked her irritatedly. How she wanted to call her 'Rat'. Cause she definitely is one _huge_ pest.

Natalie brushed her golden lock then crossed her arms. She said, "Oh. Just the usual. Stay away from _my_ Hikari, Witch!"

Xion went furious and gave her a scowl. "When is Roxas yours? And for your information, in this school, there is only one witch and it isn't me." Xion said. A few students that stopped and watched them argued made an 'ooooooo….' sound. Whispers quickly filled the small crowd and some of them even secretly pointed at Natalie.

Natalie looked around the crowd of students that had circled them. She will not have her reputation spoiled by the ravenette. She turned back to Xion, her face was red with both anger and embarrassment. "W-why you little…" she stuttered.

Xion smirked, she felt so good after giving an insult she deserved so much, though that wasn't really much of an insult. Huh… Natalie is wasting all her valuable time. Xion cleared her throat and said, "If you excuse me, I'll be going now. Oh, my Majestic Witch." Xion made a quick small elegant tease bow and hurried turned and left, just right before Natalie grabbed one of her 'friends'' book and threw it to where Xion's head was before. The book slammed onto the locker, caused a very loud metallic 'Bang!' All the students who watched them had hurried walked away, scared that they will be the next target for the books.

"You'll pay for that, Zayas! You will!" The loud scream of the school's famous female bully echoed through the whole school.

And somewhere in school, a voice said, "Who's scream broke my glasses?"

_~*~Sing Me A Song~*~_

Xion Zayas trotted down the hallway, turned to look behind her shoulder a few times to make sure Natalie didn't send out her 'mad dogs' and chase after her. She sighed in relief when she noticed she is safe, for now. Xion turned into a corner and went into the canteen. The smell of fried rice, cream mushroom soup, fried chicken, grilled fish and boiled broccoli (yuck…) greeted her nose, while loud talking and dishes clanking met her ears.

She looked around the large room, hope to spot her friends. Just then, she saw a redhead who sat at the very far end waved her hand up high, getting someone's attention. And that someone is her. Xion smiled and waved back to her friends before started walking towards them.

All of the sudden, someone stepped in front of her, blocking her way. By the look of the figure, it was a boy. Xion looked up and saw a pair of icy blue eyes staring straight down at her, inspecting her small form.

'Oh great… Trouble Number 2…' Xion thought and broke their gaze. Xion tried to walk pass him but he grabbed her around the wrist and pulled her back to her previous location. Xion winced in pain when his strong hand literally crushing her wrist. "Ow! That hurts!" She exclaimed (but only loud for both of them to hear) and freed herself from the boy's grasp.

"If you just stay on that spot, I won't hurt you anymore," The brunette told her.

Xion glared at him then said, "What is it, Kellett?"

Flippe Kellett grinned and said, "I just want to remind you to stay away from Rasp's boyfriend and meet me in the Basketball Court today after school. I hope that you won't be late. I don't like late people."

Xion rolled her eyes irritatedly and told Flippe, "Firstly, when is Roxas Rasp's? Secondly, I'm not even a member of the Basketball Team. Why should I meet you? And finally, go on, hate me. 'Cause I hate you too."

Flippe chuckled and leaned down to Xion's ear. "Come meet me today and find the answers yourself. And believe me, you won't hate me any sooner," he whispered, causing Xion to shiver. Flippe pulled away a little to show her his smirk before he turned and left.

'Won't hate him any sooner? What does that suppose to mean? Like hell I would like him one bit,' Xion watched his retreating figure for awhile then walked towards her friends, who were also looking at Flippe then at her.

"What did he said to you, Xion?" The redhead, Kairi Minami asked after Xion sat down beside her.

Xion simply shrugged and said, "He told me to stay away from Roxas because he is Rasp's _boyfriend_." Everyone's eyes were wide open after they heard what she said.

"For real? Roxas is Rasp's boyfriend?" Namine asked.

Xion looked at her. She can't be seriously believed what she just said right? "Of course not, Nami! Who would be that witch's boyfriend?"

"T-Then?"

"Rasp must have told Kellett to tell me that. Come on. You guys know that she wanted to have Roxas all to herself. Her been popular and want everything that's perfect," Xion said and opened her small lunch paper bag. Inside were a sandwich and a pack of apple juice.

'I wonder where Roxas is…' She thought as she drank the apple juice with a straw. Her eyes turned to the canteen's door and saw her blonde friend walked in, scanning around the room for any familiar faces.

A smile spread across Xion's face and she waved to him, which he noticed. "Hey guys." Roxas greeted to the table of students after he made his way through the sea of students. Everyone greeted back.

"Where were you just now, Xion? You weren't at your locker," Roxas asked her as he sat down between her and Sora. **(A.N. The table is round.)**

Xion gave out a quick sigh then replied, "I bumped into Rasp. My worst luck ever…"

Roxas chuckled and said, "Meeting her is everyone's worst luck." His friends all laughed softly and nodded an agreement. Roxas always knew how to cheers people up.

"And just now, she encountered Kellett too. Pretty bad luck huh." Sora Hiranaga said.

Roxas blinked after he heard what Sora said and turned to face Xion. "What did both Rasp and Kellett told you?" He asked her with a serious face.

Xion's smiled disappeared when she saw that face, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat then answered, "They both told me to stay away from you, because you're Rasp's boyfriend. And Kellett also told me to me-" She hesitated.

"Told you to what?" Namine asked her as her boyfriend Riku Fukuda wrapped his arm around her waist.

Xion played with her fingers and thought, 'Should I tell them?'

"He… He told me to join the basketball team. Y-Ya! That! But I refused, I mean, I'm so small. It will be suicide to compete with those muscular players." Xion lied and hoped she get away with it.

"Join the basketball team? Kellett really should get his head check. Choosing an inexperience, short girl to play basketball is just equal losing the game. No offence, Xion." Riku finally spoke. Xion just flicked her hand slightly, indicated its okay.

"Sometimes Kellett is such a strange guy…" Kairi said.

"It's not sometimes, Kairi. It's every time! He always acted like he knew everything in the world and he is the best or something. And how did he become the basketball team leader? He's not even good at playing basketball. Do you guys still remember when he accidently scored a score for the enemy's team?" Sora asked but received no answer. Nobody really knows how he became the leader and their school won that basketball competition, so no one mind about him scored a score for the opponent at all.

Xion hate Flippe and she is pretty sure that all of her friends too. He is the Basketball Team's leader (turned just a few weeks ago) and the famous playboy in school. Rumors have it that he changed his 'doll' every month and sometimes in just a week or two. The weird thing is that nobody cares! Girls still adore him even they knew their 'relationship' is impossible. After Flippe broke their hearts, they will cry their eyes out like no tomorrow. In Xion's view, Flippe is a devil in an angel suit. And the worst part about him is that, he is Natalie's right-hand man. Devil and witch. A perfect match!

The 'Flippe Kellett' topic was thrown away a few seconds later and they resume their own happy conversation with no 'strange beings' involved. Xion and Namine forced Kairi to tell them did Sora did anything dumb in the last few hours and the boys were chatting about their upcoming sword fighting competition. They have the sword fighting class just before lunch, while Xion's has Art with Namine. The coach told them that their competition will be the students of Radiant Leaf from Hollow Bastion, but the competition will be held in Twilight Starz because the multi-purpose hall was much bigger than theirs.

Sora, Roxas and Riku have the same hobby: fighting with weapons (especially sword). They joined the sword fighting class on the first day they entered Twilight Starz and now they are the most skilled and unbeatable trio. Their attacks are hard to deflect and fatal, thanks to their swift movement and quick reflects. Three of them tried their best not to kill their opponent or hurt them too seriously because Mr. Manse- Xemnas, their school principle, are complaining that they used too much potions just to heal one person. And then something about using too many money on buying potions. Then the budget blah blah blah…

Sora's sword is simple. Silver blade, a thick golden hilt guard surrounded the rounded hilt and a short silver keychain secured to the end of the handle, with silver Hidden Mickey token at the end. He named it 'Kingdom Blade'.

Roxas equipped two swords at once. He is a great dual sword fighter than anyone else. One of his swords has a white blade, the hilt guard is a pair of white angel wing with a few faint light yellow and yellowish-blue on it. Just like Sora's, a short keychain was attached to the end of the handle and a star sewn together from Thalassa Shells (Xion made it for him, with help from Kairi) attached at the end. He named it 'Oathkeeper'. His other sword was black in colour. It has a black blade with a chain-like design runs up the length. The hilt guard is comprised of two bat-like wings extending downward, touching the end of the hilt. There is also a diamond shaped blue stone in its hilt. The Keychain's token is a black crown. He named that dark sword 'Oblivion'.

Riku's sword is also in dark colour. Dark blue and blood red with hints of purple to be exact. The blade was dark red and a single dark blue and red demonic wing extended out to the left of the hilt. A blue eyeball pictured stone was carved just above the opening to the black hilt. His sword didn't have any chain attached to the hilt, unlike both Roxas and Sora. He named his beloved sword 'Soul Eater'.

Among the three of them, Riku was the leading fighter (most powerful), but Roxas managed to defeat him once, ended up with numerous deep cuts and bruises all over his body.

"So, do you think the famous Cloud Strife will join the competition?" Sora asked the boys.

Roxas quickly shook his head and said, "He better not. Or we are toast for sure!" Riku chuckled and spoke calmly, "So what he is a great swordsman? You guys are afraid of him, but not me. I'll totally beat him for real."

Sora's eyes twinkled as he looked at Riku like he's a god or something. Roxas just simply rolled his eyes. Sometimes Riku just like to show off.

At the girl side…

"Kai~ Please tell us~" Namine urged, grabbing Kairi's sleeve and shook her a little.

"I told you guys already. He didn't do anything stupid at the previous classes…" Kairi said and tried to stop Namine from continuing shaking her.

"Don't lie to us, Kai. Today is not April Fools' Day," Namine said and stopped shaking Kairi. "He really didn't did anything dumb just now, really!" Kairi told her girlfriends. **(A.N. It means female friends here. Not that other meaning.)**

Xion looked at the both of them then asked, "Really? It's hard to believe he didn't do anything stupid for a day. He usually does at least one dumb thing per day."

"Hard to believe right? Even I was shocked… Maybe… Today is the day he is careful." Kairi told her and drank her chocolate milk.

"Ah!" A loud familiar voice cried out from their sitting area. The girls turned and looked at Sora, who was covered in warm, delicious cream mushroom soup and an empty upside down bowl on his head. The soup was everywhere. In his brown hair, on his once clean white shirt, some on his pants and a few dripped from the tip of his spiky hair then dripped onto the floor and his shoes.

"Ah come on! I just showered!" Sora groaned in annoyance and licked the soup on his face while he grabbed the bowl and set it onto the round table.

Xion blinked then asked Roxas, "What happened just now?" Roxas wiped away the droplets of soup that splattered onto his face then told her, "Sora was excited about the up-coming swords fighting competition. He suddenly thrust his hands into the air, accidently knocked onto a student's food tray behind him. The next thing we know, the bowl of soup flew up and landed on his head."

"Oh~" Xion looked back to Kairi, who placed her palm on her forehead and said, "We spoke too soon…"

Xion just merely smile, at least Sora is his same old clumsy self.

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**Thats all for this chapter. Just for those who are curious. The characters called each other by their last name (surname) unless that person allow them to call their first name. Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Namine Kaneko**

**Riku Fukuda**

**Sora Hiranaga**

**Kairi Minami**

**Natalie Rasp**

**Flippe Kellett  
**

**Thx you all for reading! I'll try my best to update very soon!**


	3. Poster and Ice Cream

**I'm back. Sorry for the almost-a-month or already-a-month wait. I moved to a new house in Malaysia and we're just so busy with the shopping for furniture, cleaning, and house warming. And my new house don't have internet connection yet. And I just had my piano exam last Saturday. Luckily I passed.**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness** , arkee, and **NightfallSky** for reviewing this story. Especially NightfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter. Love ya!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94 for fav and alert this story. Heart for you! Wonder who will be the one to take the second place.  
**

**And of course, thank you for everyone who read this story. Rock on dudes! N gals!  
**

**That's all for now. Enjoy. ^^ Oh! Sorry for any mistakes! DX  
**

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**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 3: Poster and Ice Cream

Sora (accompanied by Riku) left the group and went to the shower room to take another bath, and maybe borrow a fresh set of uniform for the rest of the day from the sick bay, since his spare one was sweaty from the sword fighting training just now. Namine smiled and told Kairi that she has something sparkly and pretty to show her at her locker, so she dragged Kairi and left the group too. Leaving Roxas and Xion at the table.

The both of them ate in silent, which was very strange, as they always have bunch of things to tell each other. Xion tried to summon up a topic, but nothing came to her mind. Her short, unexpected conversation with Flippe kept on bothering her. And she wants to keep part of their conversation as a secret, just for now.

Roxas was the one to break the full 5 minutes of awkward silence. "I wonder what Namine want to show Kairi. What do you think it might be, Xion?"

"Oh! U-um… She said sparkly and pretty… Maybe a dress. No! Maybe accessories. There's a very small chance that Namine would bring a dress to school. She always obeys the rules." Xion answered and finally finished her lunch. Roxas also finished his lunch – a slice of pepperoni pizza and soda.

The black haired girl threw her empty lunch bag and juice packet into the trash bin. Roxas did the same. Xion looked at the clock in the canteen, their next class won't start for another 7 minutes. She turned to her best friend and asked, "Why don't we walk around for awhile? There's still time left. And I really don't want to see Mr. Vexen's face for extra 5 minutes. 1 hour is already a torture."

Roxas chuckled then said, "Well. At least Chemistry is fun. And to answer your question, sure."

"I still prefer Biology though. Chemistry is not really my strength… I like the experiments, but I don't want to get cuts all over my hand like the last time," Xion said as she and Roxas walked out of the canteen.

"Oh~ That time! I remember now. You accidently knocked over the measuring cylinder. You failed to grab it on time, and the shards cuts your palm and fingers. Be more careful next time, Xio," Roxas said and ruffled Xion's hair, who groaned in slight annoyance. Roxas continued, "At least the cuts aren't large and deep. And you hurt your left hand, not your right one, or you will fail your chemistry test."

Xion slapped Roxas's hand away softly then tidied up her hair, "It's not like I asked for it. Do you think that I break the cylinder purposely just to get hurt and pay for the cylinder? And that cylinder is expensive…" **(A.N. This actually happened to me when I'm having my IGCSE test. At least I got extra time because of it. Surprisingly, the cuts don't hurt. Have blood, but no pain. XD)**

Roxas laughed softly. "Actually, that time… I wanted to help you. But I'm scared that I won't have enough time to finish the practical test. Sorry I didn't rush to your aid…"

Xion smiled and gave him a forgiving gaze, "It's okay. We both always argue that the time is not enough, so I understand. Beside, the teacher is there to help me apply on the Band Aids and I got extra time. Now that is a very good thing."

"You're so lucky to get the extra 15 minutes, you know. Just imagine how many questions you can do and checked in those 15 minutes!" Roxas said jealously. Xion just laughed softly.

The both of them chatted happily while walking down the hallway which led to their lockers when a poster and a piece of blank straw coloured paper on the Event Notice Board caught Xion's eyes. She stopped her track and read the poster. It wrote:

_Come join Twilight Starz Singing Competitions and win the grand prices! There will be two singing competitions in this academic year. The first one will be held next month and the final will be held on the last day of this academic term! It 100% FREE! Any songs are welcome! Music can be provided by school or performed by your own! Only solo and duet are allowed! Join now before it's too late! Please write your name on the paper provided. Please inform Mr._ _Medote if you're deciding to join as a band. More information will be provided to the candidates in later notice._

"A singing competition? The school never had this kind of competition before. Mostly sports, but never something that is… um… with music. Not even a musical." Xion said.

Roxas looked at the poster and asked her, "You're right. So~ You want to join?"

Xion turned and looked at her friend surprisedly, "Join? I… I don't know… I-I can't sing."

Roxas simply 'pffed'. "Ya right. I listen to you singing all the time and you still try to lie? Just join. It's free and I'm sure you'll do great."

Xion blushed a light pink and stammered, "I-I don't know…"

Roxas gave her an encouraging smile then said, "Come on. We never know when such competition will be held anymore. It's once in this school's lifetime, Xio."

Xion blushed when Roxas used her pet name again. "O-okay. I think I'll give it a try…" She turned and decided to write her name onto the paper when the pen was suddenly snatched away from her hand by someone else. Xion turned her face and saw the pair of yellow eyes for the second time of the day. Can this day get any worse?

"What are you doing? I got the pen first. Give it back!" Xion said and stretched out her hand to get the pen, only to have Flippe grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. He held Xion's shoulder from behind and pulled her so close to him that Xion felt her back pressed onto his body. Xion struggled but he is not loosening his firm grip.

Roxas saw this and shouted at him, "Let go of her, Kellett! What in Kingdom Hearts are you two doing?" He looked at the two bullies in school.

Natalie quickly put on her 'innocent' eyes and sweet smile. "Roxy, dear. I was just going to write my name for the singing competition. You will come and cheer for me, right?" Natalie said as she leaned forwards and curled Roxas's tie around her slender fingers. Roxas looked like he is going to throw up anytime due to his suffocation from Natalie's super thick perfume.

Roxas tried his best and pushed Natalie away by her shoulders. He glared at her and said, "I have told you before, I won't do anything that is related to you and Kellett."

Natalie looked at him with her fake teary eyes. Roxas ignored her and took the pen right off her hand and wrote 'Xion Zayas' onto the paper. He let the pen dangled in the air, since its end was tied to a long string which was glued to the notice board. He kicked Flippe on the shin painfully, caused him to let go of Xion, who turned around and angrily punched Kellett on the chest with all her might, caused him to bang into the lockers behind him. Roxas gave a last angry glare to Natalie before he slid his hand into Xion's and hold it tight. Natalie gasped softly when he did that but Roxas didn't notice it as he and Xion ran away from them and went to their lockers.

"He likes Zayas?" Natalie said softly, couldn't believed what she just saw. "He likes Zayas?" she repeated but a bit louder than the first time. Then she screamed, "HE LIKES ZAYAS?"

"I'm sure there is a reason for that," Flippe told to the shocked girl as the pain on his chest, shin and back eased.

Natalie clenched her fists and stomped on the floor in anger. She grabbed Flippe by the collar, pulled him closer to her and told him, "Flippe, I don't care what you do, I want you to get Roxas away from Zayas or get Zayas away from Roxas! And make sure he won't come to the competition next month! Got it?"

Flippe quickly nodded his head. He held Natalie's hand softly and pushed them away. He wore a smirk on his face and said, "Don't worry. I'll have everything plan out perfectly."

Natalie smirked too. "Great. I know I can always count on you." She laughed slightly, wrote her name on the candidates' list and walked to her class when the bell rang throughout the whole building.

_~*~Sing Me A Song~*~_

The school bell rang for the last time of the day. Students ran out from their classes and went home or hang out at the shops with their friends, but some of them walked to their extra classes. Xion left her Extended Mathematics class quietly, a lot of things roamed in her mind. So many things it starts to hurt like hell. Roxas walked beside her. He had never seen her so stress looking before, except when there are exams or tests coming, but there are none.

"Are you okay, Xion?" Roxas asked her.

Xion forced on a smile and nodded her head. "Ya…"

Roxas looked at her with worried eyes, "Are you sure? We don't have to go to the clock tower today if you don't feel well."

"No! I'm really fine, Roxas. Don't be such a worry little boy," Xion continued smiling and punched his shoulder playfully but softly.

"Really? You don't look so good. What's bothering your mind, Xion? You know you can trust me with anything," He pulled her to a stop and stared right into her eyes. Xion stared into his beautiful copper sulphate crystal blue eyes. **(A.N. Yeah… I'm obsessed with that shade of blue. It's just so beautiful when you hold the crystal up to the light and look at it! It's like a clear ocean blue.) **The blue is so beautiful that Xion thinks she can just get lost in it and never ever leave. How she wished she can tell Roxas everything that is hurting her head. The competitions, the conversation with Flippe in the canteen earlier, and especially Natalie Witch. Argh! That Yellow-Eyed Witch!

But instead of telling her best friend everything, she said, "I-I'm just worried about the competition. Rasp joined too… Who knows? She might be a great singer..." Xion said and tore away from the eye contact. She would look like a jerk if she kept on staring at them.

"Tck! Only that? Xion, you don't have to worry about that witch. And I will help you to practice for the competition if you want. And maybe I can be your piano or guitar player during the competitions," Roxas said and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Hey! Stop! Hehehe…" Xion giggled as she smoothed her hair back to normal. Roxas smiled when he saw his best friend was back to her old happy self.

"It would be awesome if you can help me practice, but I would like to play the music myself. The problem is that I have no freaking idea what song to sing…" Xion gave out a big sigh. Roxas smiled and said, "Maybe some ice cream will help you clear your head so you can think properly. Come on. Today's my treat." Roxas grabbed her wrist and pulled her to their lockers, unaware of the pair of eye that's watching them.

_~*~Sing Me A Song~*~_

**(A.N. Read this part while listening to 'Lazy Afternoon' from the Piano Collection or Original Soundtrack just to set the atmosphere, since it's in Twilight Town."**

"So… Any idea for the song you gonna sing?" Roxas asked while sitting beside his friend on the ledge of the tall clock tower, licking his favourite cold sweet and salty treat.

Xion just shook her head and gave her Sea Salt Ice Cream a lick. Roxas just slightly nod and turned his gaze back to the beautiful and peaceful orange city and the setting sun.

Xion looked up to the town and asked without turning her head, "Do you… Do you think I should sing a song by someone else? Or a song of my own?"

"Huh?" Roxas uttered and took a bite from his ice cream.

Xion turned to face Roxas. "You know… My original songs. I have made a few for the past years. Do you think I should sing two of them for the competitions?"

"Hmm… The poster does say that any songs are allowed. So I guess it's okay. Besides, I think singing your original works are better than other songs. Maybe you can get some extra points. Who knows?" Roxas answered and bite his ice cream again.

Xion turned back to the scenery. "Oh, someone knows. The judges."

Roxas laughed and Xion joined in.

"But… Which one should I sing? What kind of genres should I choose? Which would be the best?" Numerous questions roamed inside her head.

Roxas chuckled and said, "It seems like even Sea Salt Ice Cream can't clear your mind. You still got those pestering questions inside you little head. Come here." Roxas used his left hand to circle around Xion's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He placed his hand on her right shoulder then said, "Stop thinking about everything just for awhile. Enjoy the view, the wind, the birds chirping, and the train traveled around town." Roxas was leaning close to her face, pointing at everything as he said - the town, the sky, the group of flying birds, and the train. Xion flushed a light pink by their super closeness. It felt different, in a very nice way. Like she want it that way.

"Or," the blonde continued. "Ask yourself some funny questions to lighten up your mood, like why the sun sets red. I bet you still remember the time Axel became Mr. Know-It-All and told us the answer."

Xion giggled at the thought. "Yes. I do remember. The sun sets red because out of all colours the light made of, red travels the farthest…" Xion's voice faded as something struck her mind, a smile spread across her face.

Roxas blinked twice, and then asked. "You okay, Xion? You're just like spaced out."

Xion turned to face her best friend then happily told him, "That's it! I know what song I'm going to sing, Roxas! I got it!"

Xion stood up on the ledge and shouted happily to the orange town, "I finally got my answers! Thank you Kingdom Hearts!" And all Roxas did was looking up to his friend and smiled.

* * *

**That's all for today. N so sorry for this short chap. I promise the next chap would be longer! ****Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Natalie Rasp**

**Flippe Kellett**

**Namine Kaneko**

**Kairi Minami**

**Riku Fukuda**

**Sora Hiranaga**

**Thx you for reading! Don't forget to leave a review. Or even better, fav or alert it! XD  
**


	4. Secret Composition NOT

**I'm back! OMG! I update this story within a month. This must be a record for me! Lets start the story with thanking as usual.  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky** and darkwolf1126 for reviewing this story. Especially NightfallSky and darkwolf1126 for reviewing the previous chapter. Love ya!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94 and Flower5450 for fav this story. And emmausgirl94 for alert this story. Heart for you two! Who will be the one to take the third place?**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Awesome!**

**Now, lets officially start the story. Sorry for any mistakes and the original song which is not so good.**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 4: Secret Composition... NOT

"Kweh! Kweh!"

Xion opened her tired eyes and poked her head out of her comfortably warm blanket. It was morning and she's sure of it because Chobi is her living alarm clock and never failed to wake her up. She let out a yawn then pushed herself off her bed and walked to her study table and looked at her shell decorated calendar that she made herself. It was Thursday, and tomorrow will be her favorite day of the week. She smiled and walked to her wardrobe and changed into her school uniform.

Threw everything she needed to her school bag, she opened her drawer and carefully took out a notebook. The notebook which will help her win the singing competitions. Or that's what she hopes.

'I hope my decision is the correct one…' Xion thought as she placed the notebook into her shoulder bag with care and went downstairs.

The rest of the hours went normally. Her porcupine spine-like haired elder brother called her 'slowpoke', Roxas came to meet her then have their usual walk to school, have classes with her friends, avoiding Natalie and Flippe and walk to the canteen with Roxas, only the two of them today. She wished the rest of the day will be just this normal, but this wish just have to be shattered after school by a certain brunette she loathed.

Just after the final bell rang, Xion excused herself from Roxas as she went to the lady's bathroom. After she went out of the bathroom, the corridor was practically empty. Well. It's Thursday, teachers will have their weekly meetings so there will be no extra classes. She had told Roxas to wait for her at the school's front gate, and she already placed everything she need from her lockers into her bag and gave it to Roxas (he insisted to carry it for her while he waits).

The black haired girl trotted towards the school's front door when suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her into the basketball court. With some self-protection moves Axel taught her, she quickly freed herself while the grab wasn't firm and faced the captor in her fighting stand, ready to beat the hell of out whoever grabbed her. Who she saw made her bundled up her fist even harder.

"Hello. Mr. Rasp's Right Hand Man. Care to explain why your filthy, cheating, playboy hands grabbed me just now?" Xion said, tried to control herself from punching him in the face without a second word and acted mature.

Flippe Kellett simply smirked and said, "I believe I told you to meet me here after school yesterday? And I also informed you that I hate late people and those who make me wait."

"Well. I had told you yesterday that there is no way in hell I would meet you. There's no reason for me to meet a devil. Especially one that works under a witch." Xion said. God, she wanted to call him a 'devil' in his face for so long now. And it felt so good. She might as well just do what her heart ached for: Calling him a 'devil' for the rest of the day. If possible, forever!

Flippe didn't seems to mind her calling him a 'devil', which was strange 'cause he wasn't those kind of people who accept being call in different names. "Just for your information, I won't be the only 'devil' you know." Flippe told her.

"What do you mean? You're the only devil I know. And the only devil that make me sick!" Xion spat out, anger filled her tone.

"One day you'll find out who is the other devil," Flippe said.

Xion scowled and said, "I'm leaving. I'm not going to stand here and listen to a devil's rubbish." The dark haired girl turned and ready to leave the basketball court when Flippe's voice said, "If you can't see who the other devil is, I'll show it to you then…"

Xion bit her lower lip then exited the court without a second word.

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

Roxas leaned onto the front gate while waiting for Xion to finish her 'business'. Groups after groups of students walked passed him. He bid farewell to his friends and some acquaintances which have the same classes as him.

Just then, a female voice called out to him. He turned, thought that it was Xion, but quickly froze when he saw the person who called out to him. He groaned and turned himself back to his ordinary position, tried to ignore the call outs to him.

"Roxy~ Roxy! Roxy look here!" The voice told him.

Roxas continued to ignore her.

"Roxy!" The owner of the voice walked towards the tall blonde boy and looped her arms around his right hand, cooing softly. "Roxy-poo~ Miss me?"

"No." Roxas said simply and untangled the girl's arms from his. "Now go away."

"Roxy~ You were kidding right? When you said you won't do anything that is related to me. You're kidding right?" Natalie asked with the sweetest voice she can make. Normal boys will believe the voice belong to a beautiful angel descended from the heaven above, while Roxas believe the voice is an illusion from an ugly witch who lives in a dense forest 100 billion miles away from him. And he wishes that witch will forever stay that far from him…

"No, I'm not. Rasp," Roxas turned and looked at her. "I really don't like you. Especially the way you treated everyone, and most importantly, my best friend, Xion. So, can you just please stop calling me that name and treat me like how you treat everyone else? I prefer it that way."

Natalie pouted and asked, "You don't like me calling you Roxy?"

Roxas nodded.

"Well… If you can give me one thing, I might stop calling you Roxy, Roxy." Natalie smiled sweetly.

"And what do you want?" Roxas asked with an eyebrow raised.

Natalie placed her index finger on her lips, acted like she's thinking. She turned her head slightly to the school's front door and saw Xion Zayas walked out, but stopped when she saw her with Roxas. A smirk spread on Natalie's pretty face.

She faced Roxas with her sweet smile once again then said, "I'll tell you when I figure it out, Roxy sweet cheeks. See ya~" She brushed her long smooth fingers from his cheek and down to his chin before she walked out of the front gate and left. Roxas shuddered slightly from her light touch. He looked up and saw Xion at the school's front door. He smiled and waved to her, thought that she was looking for him.

Xion looked as Natalie touched Roxas's face so lovingly and left the school. She looked back at Roxas, thought that he would be scrubbing his face with soap or something to get rid of the 'Witch's Touch'. But he was just standing there, motionlessly.

'Could they be…? No way! There's no way they could be together! What in Kingdom Hearts are you thinking, Xion? ! Get a hold of yourself! There's no way Roxas like that Yellow-Eyed Witch!' Xion mentally slapped herself and walked towards Roxas with a fake smile when she noticed Roxas waving at her.

"What took you so long?" Roxas asked as he handed Xion her bag.

Xion just shook her head and apologized. "Sorry to keep you wait. Something unpleasant showed up…"

Roxas thought that she meant she suddenly has a stomachache which is why she's taking a longer time, so he just nodded his head and left the school with her by his side.

Xion peeked at Roxas while she was walking by his side towards the store where they brought their ice cream. Why Roxas didn't ask her what is this 'unpleasant thing' she said just now? Well…. It's not really important. But normally he will ask her… 'My head is hurting me again… All because of that stupid devil! He's the cause of all these pestering questions in my head! About someone else I know is also a devil. He's nut! He has no idea what the heck he is talking about! Someone should send him back to hell or an asylum!'

Xion was so lost in her thought that she didn't realize that she had stopped walking and stood motionlessly 10 meters away from Roxas, who realized she was no longer by his side. "Hey! Xion! Why do you stop?" Roxas shouted out to her.

Xion snapped out from her thought and looked up at Roxas. "A-Ah! Sorry!" She apologized the second time of the day then trotted towards her friend. They each bought their Sea Salt Ice Cream and headed towards Twilight Town's main entrance and exit. The two of them walked away from the rocky path which they walked to school every morning and went deeper into the woods.

They pushed themselves through the thick bushes and low branches and finally stopped under a huge tree. Helped each other to remove some leaves and twigs which stuck to their hair, Roxas pushed the plants which climbed up on the tree trunk to reveal a very long translucent string which came from above. The blond boy slowly removes the small knot which tied to the climbing plant and slowly letting go of the string as it travelled upwards into the thick, dense tree leaves. The stings kept on going up, when the end of the string was at his eye level, it stopped.

At the same time as the strings traveling up, a white hand-made ladder appeared from the thick tree leaves and slowly unrolled downwards and stopped as the same time as the string, about a meter above the ground level. Roxas told Xion to climb up first and she did as he told. After she reached the top, Roxas climbed up the 'woods and thick white ropes' ladder that his father taught him how to make and also reached the top, into their secret tree house. Roxas took a big rock, which was placed next to the entrance. He took the long translucent strings that he let go just now, and tied it tightly around the rock. He slowly lowered the rock down to the ground in order to make the ladder rolled up and disappeared into the tree leaves, right under their tree house's entrance.

Xion sat down onto the wooden floor and looked around the tree house. She missed this tree house so much, it has been awhile since she and Roxas last came. There are a wooden table placed in front of the tree house's one and only window (which is also hidden by the tree leaves from the outside but they can still see the view from the inside), which they placed some of their books and game boards on it. There were also a wooden shelve on one side of the wall where they display their items, like the 'WINNER' stick Roxas got but didn't want to use it to get a free ice cream, Xion's collection of different seashells which she put some of them in a jar and her favorites displayed on the board, some funny photos they took together and many more. There are also two beanbags, yellow and blue, placed in a corner. And on the other wall are some posters of bands they both like. The tree house might be small, but it's comfy.

"So…" Roxas pulled both of the beanbags to the center of the room and passed Xion the blue one. He sat down on it, makes himself comfortable then continued, "What are the songs you wanna sing?"

Xion adjusted herself on the beanbag and replied, "I got it all in here." She opened her school bag and pulled out her beloved notebook. "I have been starting a song since yesterday, when Chobi woke me up early to see the sunrise. I haven't finished it yet, but I would like to sing it for the competition. Maybe you can help me to finish it and make a piano sheet music of the song." Xion said as she flipped through the pages and handed the notebook to her best friend when she reached that specific page.

Roxas took the notebook and read out the title, "'Planet Earth'. Where did you get that title?"

Xion just pouted. "Just read the lyric."

Roxas smiled at her childish reaction and read the lyric:

_As the sun paints the town in amber,_

_A bird flew by with a piece of apple,_

_And when you think that you've seen it all,_

_You don't realize you're very small._

_As the wind blew onto your face,_

_You didn't hear the tree leaves sang,_

'_Cause you always think you've seen it all,_

_But now it'll prove you're wrong._

_-Chorus-  
_

_Planet Earth, the only place we live,_

_Planet Earth, the only thing we need to dream._

_Planet Earth, where I finally know,_

_That the world~ Is all I need…_

"That's all?" Roxas asked.

"I already told you. I have finished it yet. I just add in the short chorus last night… Any idea how can it be continued?" Xion asked as she took out her stationeries.

"Hm… The next part. I'm sure the melody you thought out for the first part would be the same as the third part. Why don't we add in something that's also about the Earth?" Roxas suggested and handed the notebook back to her. "Maybe… Like the ocean?" Roxas said as he looked at Xion's jar of seashells.

"The ocean?" Xion repeated.

"Ya… Since it's also a part of Earth," Roxas said.

"Hm… Ocean is a large body of water… Wait. I think I got it," Xion said and looked down onto her notebook and wrote down the next two part of the lyric.

While she's writing, Roxas looked around the tree house and spotted a photo of him and his friends wearing trekking clothes. Oh ya. It was taken during their camping trip somewhere in the world which he has already forgotten the name. Just then, an unpleasant memory came into his mind. They were climbing a tall, steep wall, in order to get to the water source which is higher up in the mountain. Xion was climbing next to him, they were about to reach the top when the rock Xion set her footing on suddenly collapsed, bringing Xion down with it. If he didn't grab her hand on time, she might be seriously harm or even worse… Dead. Roxas shook the memory away. If he really did lose Xion, he has no idea what to do...

"Here. Check it," A familiar voice broke him out of his thought. He turned and looked at the voice's owner. Those beautiful sparkling blue eyes, cute nose, pinky lips and silky short black hair… Man… How he wanted to tell her how important she is in his life…

"Oh. Sure," Roxas tore away from the eye contact, took the notebook and read:

_As the water slips through your fingers,_

_You didn't care and let them fall,_

_And you always think you have enough,_

_But didn't know that there aren't._

_As you feel the earth under your feet, _

_You say they're dirty and they stink,_

_And you always think that you were right, _

_But now it'll prove you're wrong._

_-Chorus-  
_

_Planet Earth, the only place we live,_

_Planet Earth, the only thing we need to dream._

_Planet Earth, where I finally know,_

_That the world~ Is all I need…_

Roxas gave Xion a smile and a nod. "You know. I think you can add in the bridge here. Then just continue the chorus and maybe edit them a little." He handed the notebook back to her.

"Don't you think that's a bit short?" Xion took the notebook and started to think what she should write for the bridge.

Roxas shook his head. "It's okay. I have listened to songs that are even shorter than that. And this song would not hurt your throat when you sing it in the competition. So your voice won't go all hoarse due to the song's duration. You done?"

"Yup!" Xion said happily and sang out the final parts. Her tone was a bit low and fast for the bridge.

_See the sun and see the moon,_

_See the stars shine down upon you._

_And that is when you'll realizes,_

_That you're living in… a… paradise…_

Xion's voice faded and changed her voice to a little higher tone to sing the chorus.

_Planet Earth, the only place we live,_

_Planet Earth, the only thing we need to dream._

_Planet Earth, where I finally know,_

_That the world~ Is all I need…_

She sang out the final two lines softly.

_Hmm… Hmm…_

_Planet Earth is all… I… need…_

Xion looked up to Roxas and asked shyly, "So… What do you think? It's the melody okay? Should I change anything?"

Roxas chuckled and replied, "It's wonderful. You don't need to change anything, Xio. Just sing the song like that."

Xion flushed a light pink. "You really think so?"

"I know so. And now with the lyric and melody making out of the way, we can focus more on making the piano music sheet, which will be tough." Roxas said.

"Really? Then that's too bad. I'll miss coming back to this tree house. Next time, we should put some music instruments here to play, so we can stay here longer," Xion said as she traced the texture of the wooden floor.

Roxas smiled and lay back onto his beanbag, staring at the ceiling. "You know… We don't have to leave yet. Let's do the piano sheet next time. Now… I want to stay here… With you…"

Xion blushed at his last sentence, which left unnoticed by Roxas. She smiled warmly and lay back onto her own beanbag. "Ya… Let's just stay here."

The rest of the hours were wonderful. Xion and Roxas spent their time chatting, refreshing their minds with all the happy memories that had before while looking at all the old photos and eating the ice cream they bought just now. They also played some board games that they used to play nonstop in the tree house and Xion was the winner for most of the game. And the loser, who is Roxas, will have to buy Sea Salt Ice Cream for her for a week. Xion also sang out her original song, 'Planet Earth', when Roxas asked her to because he didn't know what the song sounds like at the beginning. To cut things short, they both have a wonderful time in their secret tree house together.

Soon, the sun was setting and the sky turned into a beautiful orange. Both of the teens knew that it's their time to go home. Roxas pulled up the rock with the strings tied around it to unroll the ladder. He told Xion to go down first as he untied the string around the rock. When the string is free, he climbed down the ladder and joined Xion onto the ground. He pulled the long translucent string down, until the ladder rolled up and disappeared once again into the tree leaves. He tied a section of the string to the climbing plants, and hid the rest of the string under some broken branches and leaves so no one can see it.

Making sure they got everything they need and the string was well-hidden, Roxas and Xion walked out of the woods and went back to their own home. But, what they didn't know is that there is a person sat on the tree which is right next to where their tree house located with a recorder in his hand. A smirk spread across his face as he climbed down from the tree and walked to the tree which Roxas and Xion's tree house was built on. He took out a pocket knife and craved the letter 'X' on the tree trunk. Withdrew the pocket knife back into his pocket, the boy also walked out of the woods and left.

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**That's all for this chap. I'm working on the next one. Next update might also be after two weeks or so. Thank u for reading till end! XD**

******Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Natalie Rasp (aka The Yellow Eyed Witch)  
**

**Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! See ya next time!**


	5. That Strange 'X'

**Hi Hi Hi! I'm back! Wow... I actually able to update like I promised. Yay! Lets start the story with thanking as usual.  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetpretty, and Takamira for reviewing this story. Especially Flower5450, violentyetpretty, Takamira and NightfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter. Love ya!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, and violentyetpretty for fav this story. And emmausgirl94 and violentyetpretty for alert this story. Heart for you all! Who will claim the alert 3rd place? 0o0  
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**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Rock on!  
**

**Now, lets officially start the story. Sorry for any mistakes and this kinda short chapter.**

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**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 5: That Strange 'X'

Morning came and went. Unlike the previous day, school went normally. However, neither Natalie nor Flippe gets near to her and her friends, and this strange behavior bothers Xion. Maybe things are not normal after all… And to think about it again, not a thing was normal after she signed up to join the singing competitions.

'Are all these connected?' Xion asked herself as she and Roxas walked out of school and towards Roxas's house. Both of them decided to start making the piano sheet music, so they don't need to have a last minute rush, and only Roxas's house has a piano.

'I almost forgot!' Xion screamed in her mind as something struck her mind. She quickly pulled Roxas to a stop, who was caught in surprise.

"What the? ! Huh? What is it, Xion?" Roxas asked as he looked at her.

"I almost forgot that I accidentally dropped my eraser in the tree house yesterday. We need to get it," Xion replied as she and Roxas changed their direction and walked towards the town's entrance/exit.

"I thought you checked you have everything before we left yesterday," Roxas questioned.

Xion sighed then answered, "I only checked did I bring down my pencil box. I didn't check the stationeries inside."

Roxas chuckled and said, "No wonder you want to borrow my eraser for you Art class today."

Xion only nodded.

They stepped into the woods and walked towards their secret hideout. Roxas loosened the knot, and the ladder came down. Xion was about to climb it when Roxas stopped her. "Just me Xion. You wait here." Before Xion can even say a word, Roxas already grabbed hold of the ladder and climbed up, disappeared into the tree house soon.

Xion sighed and walked around a little. The woods have always been one of her most favorite places. Well… Next to the Clock Tower of course. Nothing can beat that beautiful view of the town and the setting sun. What Xion love about the Clock Tower and the woods is: Quiet. She loves the peaceful atmosphere the quietness brings. It helps her kicked all the annoying things away from her mind.

Xion was walking around the tree which their tree house was built on when something beige in color caught her eyes and attention. On the bark on the other side of the tree from where the ladder descended from, was a letter 'X'. The dark-haired girl touched it and examined the depth of the craving. Only one thing came to her mind: That craving is new and fresh.

"I'm sure this isn't here before…" Xion said to herself, continuing to trace the outline of the 'X'.

"I found it, Xion." Roxas said as he climbed down the ladder and onto the ground. He looked around but didn't spot his friend. "Xion? Where are you? You better not abandon me here."

"Oh!" Xion snapped out of her thought and walked out from behind the tree. "I'm here, Roxas. Sorry, I'm lost in my mind." She walked towards her friend and accepted the eraser from his hand.

"Oh. I didn't see you there. Blocked by that tree trunk." Roxas gave Xion her eraser and teased, "Thinking again? It seems like Xion is our Little Thinker. Someone got to make a statue of you in a thinking post and displayed it in a museum." The blond chuckled softly.

Xion flushed a light pink then retorted, "It's not funny, Roxas."

"Hahaha… Sorry, Xion. You know I'm just teasing. However, having a statue of yourself doesn't seem to be a bad idea." Roxas apologized.

Xion rolled her eyes. "Ya ya ya. I forgive you anyway. By the way, come see this." Xion pulled Roxas by his wrist, and together they walked to where Xion spotted the 'X' mark on the tree trunk. Xion pointed at it. "See. It's new and still fresh. Maybe been craved on by today, yesterday or a few days before yesterday. I wonder who craved it…"

Roxas tilted his head a little to a side (which Xion found cute) as he looked at the 'X' mark. Then he said, "Maybe someone is exploring the woods and leave down marks to prevent from getting lost, I guess. How do you know it's fresh?"

"You got a point. Children love to explore the woods. I know that it is still fresh by looking at its colour. Freshly craved marks are in beige colour or very light brown. As days passed, the colour will turn darker and darker. The colour might even change into a colour darker than the bark. Another way is to crave another mark, then compare the colour of the two different marks to know whether it is new or old. The new mark would also be damp, as waters flow in them not long ago, the old one will be dry due to long duration exposure to wind and sunlight. This 'X' is still damp." Xion explained as she gave the mark a final stroke.

"I see." Roxas nodded slightly. "Thank you for the class of identifying new marks on tree bark, Ms. Xion Zayas. It is very interesting."

Xion flushed again. "Stop it. You know you will only make me blushed with all that kind of teasing and comments!" Xion then hit Roxas with her open palms playfully and softly.

"Hahaha!" Roxas laughed and soon Xion stopped and joined in. After they pulled the strings and hid it, the two friends walked out of the woods. Roxas kept on teasing Xion about her as Little Thinker and Xion just kept on hitting him playfully.

Once again, they failed to notice someone is watching them.

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

Soon, the two teens arrived at Roxas's house. Xion waited patiently as Roxas fumbled around his bag to get his house's door key then unlocked the door. Roxas carelessly threw the key back into his bag and opened the door. As the door swung open, nothing greeted them except for the darkness. The only light in the house was the afternoon light shine into the foyer from behind them, casting their shadows onto the ground.

"Your parent is out again?" Xion asked but already knew the answer she will get.

"Ya. The work must be important because they weren't here since I woke up this morning. Yet again, maybe they didn't even come home yesterday night." Roxas said as they walked into the foyer and took off their shoes. They put their shoes into the shoes' cabinet, switched on the lamp in the foyer, closed the door and walked up the stairs, but not before Roxas switched on a few light so the house won't look so gloomy.

After they reached the second floor, they walked towards the music room and entered the dark room. Xion was about to on the light switch when Roxas said, "No need. Let me go open the curtains." Then the sound of Roxas's footsteps slowly faded as he walked away from her and towards the windows in the pitch darkness. Xion was impressed that he didn't trip or banged into anything.

Just then, bright light flooded into the music room. The light was so bright that Xion has to close and covered her eyes with her hands, unable to adjust to the sudden light so quickly. Blinking her eyes multiple times, her eyes slowly adjust to the surrounding, and her vision started to clear up.

The music room is still as beautiful as she remembers. The clean white wall, the red carpeted floor, some of the music instruments are placed in a tall, large glass cabinet, while other instruments were placed in their own cover and placed against the wall. Some of the electric guitars were hanged up on the wall, and the speakers were placed on a mini stage which was at the wall to her right. In the middle of the room are two beanbags, golden and silver. Near to the big window is a beautiful white grand piano, shimmering softly under the light.

'If only my house is big enough to have one like that…', Xion thought jealously. She always admires white grand piano. They are just so clean looking.

Roxas walked towards her and said, "I'll put my bag into my room first, kay?"

Xion smiled and nodded. Roxas smiled back and exited the music room. The black-haired girl let out a sigh and walked towards the grand piano. She set down her school bag, leaned it against the foot of the piano, and opened up both of the piano's covers.

Roxas entered the room right after Xion pulled out the seat.

"Want to start now?" Roxas asked.

"Of course, silly. That's why we came here in the first place," Xion answered with a chuckle.

Roxas gave her a grin the walked towards the glass cabinet and opened one of the drawers. He placed his hand into it and took out a small stake of papers. "How many music papers you think you'll need for the song?" He asked without turning.

"Hm… Just take 5 for now. We'll make a draft first then rewrite them onto the new music papers after we're done. So it won't be messy." Xion said as she sat down onto the piano seat and played C major with her right hand. The sound it makes is still as wonderful as she remembers. Roxas's family must have called someone to maintain it once in awhile.

Xion smiled as her fingers danced along the keys with a mind of their own, she then realized she's playing 'River Flows in You' by Yiruma. She had fallen in love with the music when Kairi played it in her laptop when they were having one of their girls-only slumber parties. Kairi told her that the song actually going to be used in the famous 'Twilight Saga' movies, which Xion didn't watch and didn't feel like watching it. There's too much lovey-dovey for her. However, it didn't and used a music called 'Bella's Lullaby' instead. Of course, 'River Flows in You' is much better. 'Whatever… I just love this song so much…' Xion thought as she played it smoothly until the song came to an end.

She kept on smiling as Roxas walked towards her and handed her the 5 music papers. "You still can play it so smoothly without playing it for months. That is so awesome," The teenage boy complimented.

Xion giggled and said, "It's a very beautiful piece. It's very hard not to remember what the music sounds like." Xion scooted herself to the left and patted the empty space beside her, gesturing Roxas to sit down.

Roxas got her message and sat down next to her. Nervousness suddenly rushed inside Xion. She felt her heart pumping in a faster speed rate. The two of them have always been close to each other. In classes, canteen, cinema, the clock tower, transportations, on the sofa in Roxas's house's entertainment room, the tree house. And a whole lot of places that they spent time together.

'Why am I getting nervous when Roxas is close to me? I never react like this. What is happening to me?' Xion thought and shyly turned her head a little to look at Roxas, who had taken a pencil from her pencil box and writing the name of the song onto the music paper. Xion's eyes trailed from his blond defying gravity, spiky hair, down to his beautiful eyes (which she almost got lost in it, again), to his nicely shaped nose and finally to his perfect lips. They look so kissable! Wonder whether Roxas is a good kisser or not…

"Um… Xion. Why are you staring at me like that?" Roxas's voice snapped her out of her daydream. She immediately went crimson and looked away. 'OMG! He said 'staring at me'! I'm actually staring at him! Argh! That was embarrassing! And did I think about him as a good kisser? What is wrong with me? Why would I think of kissing?' Xion screamed in her head.

"Is there something on my face?" Roxas asked, tilting his head a little as he patted his cheek with his hand.

Xion thinks she could just die from his uber cuteness.

'No wonder he got a fan club in school…'

"Nothing's on your face, Roxas. I'm just thinking again…" Xion told him.

"Ah~ I see. Xion is in Little Thinker mode," He teased. Xion just pouted.

Soon, they both laughed and started to make the sheet music. Xion, who is a beginner in Piano music composition, has no idea how to make it perfect. And of course, Roxas (who has made quite a few sheet music himself) helped her. Hours passed and the white light that once flooded the music room is now replaced by the warm orange sunlight. Both of them know their time for today is up. Gathered everything she needed and placed them into her bag, she and Roxas walked down the stairs and to the foyer.

"Are you sure that I don't need to walk you home? It's getting dark." Roxas asked as Xion wore her shoes and walked out of the door.

Xion shook her head and said, "No need, Roxas. Just get some rest. Today is quite tiring."

"Okay… But are you sure?" The blonde asked again, with his shoulder leaned against the door frame.

"I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's not like this is the first time I walked home myself."

"I know. But-"

Xion quickly cut in. "I'll be fine. Geez. Don't be such a worry child. Hehehe." Xion giggled.

Roxas pouted cutely and admitted defeat. "Okay then… But. SMS me that you reached home safely later. Promise?"

Xion chuckled. "Promise. You know, Roxas. You sound like my mom just now. With that kind of attitude."

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are. Hahaha!"

Soon, Roxas also joined in the laugh.

"See you tomorrow? Even though there's no school?" Roxas asked.

Xion smiled. "Like always. Bye, Roxas."

Xion bid him farewell and walked away from his house. Just then, she heard Roxas called out to her. "You'll come to my house tomorrow again to do the sheet music, right?"

"Yes! It will be our daily routine until the two competitions are over!" Xion replied.

She swore that she saw Roxas grinned very happily before he said, "Okay! Bye Xion!" He then waved her goodbye.

Xion waved back and walked home.

While walking up the rocky path to her home, Xion looked up to the orange sky. "This term would be a tough term…" She stated as the light breeze blew her hair.

If only she knew how true she is.

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**That's all for this chap. Sorry for the short chap. I promised! The next chap would be a little longer (maybe 500 words longer...). I think I'll update once every two weeks. But if I'm very statisfied and not lazy, it might be faster. Thank u all for reading till end! XD**

**Btw, about the song 'River Flow in You' and the Twilight Saga part, I only wrote down what I heard and what i got in the Internet. I didn't watch Twilight so I'm not really sure it's what I got 100% true or not. If you know where I'm wrong, don't be shy to tell me.  
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******Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya next time!**


	6. Missing Pieces

**Alo! I'm updating again! :D Today for me is the most unforgettable day cause I graduated! Yay! Okay. Enough of that. Anywho...  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, and Takamira for reviewing this story. Especially violentyetawesome, Takamira and NightfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter. Heart you all!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, and RSV for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, and Takamira for alert this story. Heart for you all too! Who else will be joining them in this list?  
**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Awesome guys!**

**Sorry for another short chap (It's around 3000 words... So little! DX) and any mistakes in the story. Without further ado, let the story start! Hope you will enjoy it. *bows***

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**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 6: Missing Pieces

Days passed by quickly like leaves falling off in autumn, nothing but memories. Xion was in Roxas's house, playing the white grand piano in his house's music room, while Roxas was sitting on a gold-coloured bean bag, tuning his guitar. Xion is trying to play out her original work, 'Planet Earth', but she kept on played the wrong note once in a while. She groaned in annoyance every time her fingers played the wrong keys. She just can't seem to play this song smoothly.

Xion groaned again when her finger pressed the A key instead of G key. "Aw…" She murmured and stopped playing, leaned her forehead onto the piano in defeat. A few blank music papers dropped down from the piano and to the carpeted floor due to the slight wind she made.

Roxas looked up from his guitar and grinned. "Give up so quickly? I already told you making sheet music is hard."

Xion turned her head and faced the blonde, "Who said I'm giving up? Just because of a few mistakes while playing doesn't mean I'm giving up. It'll take more than that to make me give up, or my name will not be Xion Zayas."

"Then you better hurry up and make it smooth. The competition is starting in two weeks time," Roxas reminded her and turned his gaze back to his guitar.

"Ya. Easy for you to say… You are a Grade 7 pianist and not to mention you make your own songs before. You have the experience. But not me," Xion said as she picked up the fallen music papers which she would use to re-write the sheet music which she might change a little.

Roxas looked over to his friend again and rolled his eyes with a small grin. He placed his beloved guitar gently onto the floor and walked towards her. He snatched the sheet music from Xion's grasp and sat onto the piano chair, next to her.

"W-what are you doing Roxas?" Xion asked as Roxas instructed her to move a bit to her left, which she did as he told. Once again, she felt nervous due to the closeness, but quickly shook it off.

"Helping you to practice and make this song smooth. Oh, and make any changes that it needed. That is what I'm doing," Roxas said and spread out the sheet music, so he can see all of them. "Now… Let's make the necessary changes first. Which part you think the changes is needed?"

"Um…" Xion tapped her chin as she played the melody in her head. "The bridge. I just feel like it is not brilliant yet. Something's missing or wrong."

"Like?" Roxas tapped his chin with the pencil.

Xion groaned and said, "I don't know… If I know, I would have told you already, right?"

"Hm… Xion, can you sing the bridge for me? I'll try to find out where the problem is," He asked as he tugged a pencil behind his ear and placed his fingers lightly on the keys for the start of the bridge.

"Ok," Xion simply said and sang out the bridge.

_See the sun and see the moon,_

_See the stars shine down upon you._

_And that is when you'll realizes,_

_That you're living in… a… paradise…_

Roxas listened quietly and gave himself a nod of understanding then began to play the piano after his friend finished singing. Xion's blue eyes watched with awe as Roxas played the piano smoothly, playing all the correct notes for the bridge. The melody flew into her ears, filled them with wonderfulness. She could make out the changes Roxas made, and she got to say, it was beautiful. She couldn't help but closed her eyes and enjoyed the rest of the music until Roxas finished the whole song.

The blonde lifted up his fingers and turned his gaze from the piano key and onto his friend's calm and relaxed face, which has a cute smile pasted on it. 'She looked so cute when she's relaxing,' he thought.

The eyelids were opened and two blue orbs revealed, sparkling under the light. Xion smiled happily and said, "That was beautiful, Roxas! It's wonderful! It is so much better than the previous one. Just like what you would be expecting from a professional! Rox, can you help me write down the changes you made? They will make this music piece a masterpiece!"

Roxas smiled back to her cheerful attitude (which he adores) and said, "Isn't that what I wanted to do in the first place? To get this sheet music done? Of course I'll write them down."

Xion giggled and watched Roxas took the pencil from his ear and wrote down the changes. After he's done, Xion played the song from start to end to make sure there is no more error. She smiled happily and sang out the lyrics while she's playing. She had a feeling this song will hopefully get her to the top 3, so their hard work won't be wasted. They hate to let each other down.

'Roxas only able to help me this far for this song. Now, I'm continuing this journey on my own. And nothing will stop me.'

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

The sun was setting down slowly at the far horizon as Xion trotted back home. She walked out from the rocky path in the woods and walked into her cozy little home.

"I'm home!" She yelled after she closed the door behind her and started to take off her shoes.

"Welcome home, dear. How's the song coming up?" Xion's mom asked her from the kitchen, looked passed her shoulder to greet her daughter. Xion had told her that she joined the competition a few days ago when she caught her singing an unfamiliar song outside, under a tree which is close to Xion's bedroom window.

"It's going great! Roxas helped me to make changes in the sheet music, and now it's awesome! Now all I need to do next is practice, practice, practice," Xion said happily to her mom from the dining table while took a piece of chocolate mint cookie from the cookie jar and took a bite into her mouth.

"It's great to hear that. Now, go have a shower, and we will have our dinner when your dad and brother get home. So don't eat too many cookies. Save room for dinner. I made your favorite dish. Black peppered roasted chicken with mashed potato topped with chicken gravy." The beautiful woman told her daughter as she added salts into the pot of soup.

"Really? Awesome! Thanks mom!" Xion exclaimed happily with a grin.

She put the rest of the cookie into her mouth and went up to her room. She placed her bag onto her bed and sat next to it and crossed her legs. Unzipped and fumbled around the bag's contents, Xion took out her original songs notebook and the sheet music from her 'other papers only' folder. She smiled as she scanned the sheet music. She doesn't know why, but every time she looks at it, happiness rushed inside her and a smile would always appear on her face.

'Maybe because it was the very first sheet music Roxas and I make together,' The raven-haired girl thought while she's flipping her notebook until the page where she wrote 'Planet Earth'.

"Xion! I didn't hear running water! Are you taking a bath or not?" Her mother's loud voice shocked her then she quickly replied, "Y-Yes mom!" The teen slid the sheet music into the notebook, closed it and placed them back into her bag. She snatched some random clothes from her wardrobe and went to take her shower like her mother told her to.

When the door of the bathroom was locked and the sound of running water was heard. A dark figure entered Xion's room from the window quietly and searched the room for something. The figure searched on her table and opened her drawers. He fumbled in the drawers, only to utter a groan when he couldn't find what he was looking for. He closed the drawers after making sure everything is in its original place.

Next, his eyes landed on the messenger bag on the bed. **(A.N. Xion's school bag is a messenger bag! Not a shoulder bag like I typed in Chap 1. I'm so sorry. I thought they are the same... Sorry!)** He fumbled in it again and pulled out 5 different color folders.

"Man… Is she an organizing freak or something? But this would make things easier," The figure said and spread out the folders. The red one is English, the green one is Mathematic, the yellow one is Chemistry, and the purple one is Art. The last one was transparent, and it is for other kinds of papers like announcements, letters, time schedule, papers with random sketching, etc.

"Not in here…" The figure mumbled as he scanned through the transparent folder. Gathered all the folders together, he placed them back into the bag and took out the notebooks. Immediately, he noticed among the school provided notebooks (which is plain beige color with the school's emblem printed on the middle, then the words: name, class, and subject below it), one of the notebooks has a picture cover.

He picked it up and flipped through the pages until he saw a few music papers dropped out from a certain page. He flipped to the page where the music papers dropped out and picked up the sheet music. Scanned across the notebook page and the sheet music. The figure put on a satisfying smile and fished out his phone. He took pictures of all the content in the notebook, checked that the pictures are not blurry, he placed all the notebooks back into the bag. He rolled up the sheet music and held it tightly in his hand before he climbed onto the window's frame, grabbed the nearest (and strong) tree branch and swung himself away from the window, grabbed another tree branch and made a safe jump onto the grassy ground.

With one last look at the window and make sure no one is around the house, the mysterious person trotted to the rocky path in the woods and disappeared.

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

The bell rang, indicating it is time for lunch (for some) or the next class (for others). Xion exited her Extended Mathematic class and to her locker. The teacher had told her to stay after class for awhile to tell her that her progress in algebra and geometrical transformations had increased after a math test which she failed, and told her to keep up a good work. Xion sighed at that thought. She just has a problem with all those 'x' and 'y' and the scale factor, shear factor, centre of enlargement, etc. Thanks to Kairi and Namine (who both took Advanced Mathematic) for tutoring her, her scores increased in a steady rate.

Xion put her stuff back into her locker and took out her lunch. It was Tuesday, and she would be having lunch with Roxas only. 'So I better don't make him wait,' She thought and closed her locker. The hallway was empty. All the students are either in class or in the canteen or maybe having lunch outside like she and Roxas did sometimes. Once again, while she was trotting towards the canteen, someone grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into another hallway.

Even without looking, she knew who grabbed her. "For god's sake would you stop doing that? !" Xion yelled at him and yanked her hand away from him. "You're annoying. You know that, Devil?"

Flippe Kellett simply 'pffed' and said, "Whatever. Why should a rich boy like me listen to you anyway? You're not my mom. Oh wait. I didn't listen to her either." Oh ya. Flippe Kellett's family is also quite rich. That's one of the reasons why many girls like him. So what? He's just another spending money jerk.

"Whatever back to you. What is it this time, Devil?" Xion spat out.

Flippe smirked and asked, "Have you figured out who is the other devil? Let me tell you, he is closer to Natalie than me."

"And why should I know that? Dear Kingdom Hearts, I told you I would not play this 'game' of yours about who is the 'other devil'. I already told you that I freaking don't care! Leave me alone, would you? !" Xion snapped at him. You have no idea how much she wanted to punch him in the face, kneel him in the groin, kicked him on the stomach then leave right now.

Flippe tsked and said, "You're such a blind girl. I don't want to wait any longer just to see did you realized who the other devil is. Let's waste no time, I'll show him to you then. This Thursday, after school. I'll show you who he is." Flippe said as he leaned his palm on the locker.

"Whatever. It's not like I would care about it anyway," Xion said and left without another word.

"Oh~ You'll care about it for sure…" Flippe murmured softly with a smirk.

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

"That's strange…" A certain dark-haired girl said as she flipped a notebook, searching for something. Then, she took out a transparent folder from her bag and scanned in it, but what she was looking for isn't in it either. "I swear I put it in the notebook… Where is it now?"

She turned back to her school bag and held it upside – down. All of the items in it fell out onto the carpet. She checked in all her other folders and notebooks, but to no avail.

A spiky blonde-haired boy sat on the piano seat, looking down at the frustrated teen. He let her finished searching before asked her, "You're sure you didn't leave it somewhere? Home? School? The tree house? Oh wait… That's impossible."

The girl turned her face to the boy and shook her head, "I'm very sure. After I reached home yesterday, I took it out, put it into the notebook and placed back into the bag. I didn't touch it from then until now." Xion felt like she's on the verge of tears, but she managed to keep them behind the dam. She won't let this pushed her over the edge. She hates to be weak.

"I'll go look for it. There might be a chance that it fell out from my locker when I'm taking my stuff. It must be still in school. I mean, it's still there, right? It won't just disappear. It got to be there. I-I'll go look for it." Xion started to panic. She stood up and was about to leave when the blonde boy stopped her.

"Xion. Relax! If it's still in school, the janitor might have thrown it away already. You said it might have dropped out, right? However, before we left, there's nothing on the hallway. I don't think it's there anymore…"

"It has to be there, Roxas. Where else could it be then? It couldn't be at home, because I'll notice it this morning. It got to be there, Roxas! Just let me go back to find it! Maybe some nice person found it and brought it to the lost-and-found or maybe to the reception. I just need to go to those places and ask th-" Xion tried to exit the music room, only to get blocked by Roxas.

"Even if you go back, how would you know that you can really find it at those places? Why do you need to waste that time to look for it when we can just rewrite it? You said so yourself that that sheet music needs to be rewrite. That's just a draft." Roxas cut in and told his friend.

Xion groaned in anger and yelled, "So what it's just a draft? ! It still means a lot to me! And I don't want to loss it! Let me go! Roxas, you baka!"

Xion gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she just did. She looked at Roxas, who's speechless and pure shock claimed his face.

'Oh my god! Not only had I yelled at Roxas. I called him 'baka'. I can't believe it. I yelled at Roxas. I yelled at Roxas. I yelled at Roxas!'

"R-Roxas… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I-I… I…" Xion stuttered and hung her head, didn't know what to do next. It was the first time she raised her voice at her friend. But Roxas is not just any friend. He is her best friend. 'Oh god… What have I done…? I don't want our friendship to end like this!'

"It's okay, Xion." The boy cupped her chin softly and lifted it up. He gave her a comforting smile and said, "You're just panic and scared. I understand. It's okay."

"But I yelled at you… You didn't yell at me, but I yelled at you. And even called you 'that'. I'm sorry, Roxas. I'm so sorry…" Xion squeezed her eyes tight, biting the tears away.

"It's okay. I forgive you. You're just panic and don't know what to do. It's okay," Roxas said and took a step forward to give her a warm comforting, forgiving hug, which Xion immediately melts into it. 'Roxas is so kind...'

Xion smiled and wiped a small tear which managed to escape from her eye after they parted the hug "Thank you, Roxas." Roxas smiled back and said, "Why don't we begin to rewrite the sheet music now? I'll get some blank music papers."

Xion nodded in agreement and let Roxas walked past her and towards the shelf to get the music papers. Xion watched him and thought to herself, 'That was awful… I can't believe I actually yelled at Roxas. He's right. I panicked. I should have taken a better control on my emotions. I have always hated to watch him hurt since we're little. From this moment onwards, I swear I will not ever raise my voice at my friends ever again.'

Soon, the blonde teen walked towards her with new music papers and they both started to write the sheet music again.

* * *

**That's it! Sorry again for the short chap. I promise! The next chap would be 2 times longer and it would focus on Axel! Axel kept on bothering me about giving him more screen time after he read my original version of this story. So, next chap would be about him. But Roxas and Xion would still be in it. And I'll try to update soon! Or another two weeks... Which ever comes first.  
**

**BTW, the word 'baka', it's a Japanese insult which means 'fool; idiot; stupid; jerk; dolt; worthless'. I chose to use this word instead of other slangs due to the rating now. And I never have fights with friends before, so I have no idea what the situation is like. So the fighting part is bad... Sorry.  
**

**Plz help me! The next chap will include a little blood and mentions of child abuse. So, should I change the rating to 'T'? or it is okay in K+? 0.0?**

******Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya all soon!  
**


	7. How Emerald Orbs Met One Another

**I'm so sorry! DX I'm so sorry for this late update! I got a week long writer's block and it was so hard to kill! I'm sorry! To prove how sorry I am, I'll be published a new RokuShion one-shot story in a few more days. I hope you all will forgive me!  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, and Takamira for reviewing this story. Especially violentyetawesome, Takamira and NightfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter. You three are the best! XD  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, and RSV for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira,and RSV** **for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested?**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. You guys worth more than a thousand 'thank you'.  
**

**This chapter by far is the hardest and longest chapter I have ever written in this story. I had changed the rating to 'T' just to be safe and the characters might be a little OOC. **

**I hope you all will enjoy it. And I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story. Without further ado, let the story start!  
**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 7: How Emerald Orbs Met One Another

"Oh great… It's Thursday…" Xion mumbled as she looked at her calendar. She had dressed into her school uniform and her messenger bag was swung around her shoulder. She frowned as she remembered what that annoying Flippe Kellett Devil told her 2 days ago.

"_You're such a blind girl. I don't want to wait any longer just to see did you realized who the other devil is. Let's waste no time, I'll show him to you then. This Thursday, after school. I'll show you who he is."_

Xion sighed and exited her bedroom. Why can't Flippe and Natalie just disappear from the surface of the earth? That would make a lot of people's life 10 times better. She walked down the stairs and entered the dining room. "Good morning, mom," Xion greeted as she placed her bag onto her usual seat by the dining table and sat down.

"Good morning, love. Today for breakfast is chicken sandwiches. Your lunch would be fresh salad with apple juice. Is it okay?" Her mom asked and placed a plate of 2 sandwiches in front of Xion.

"Chicken sandwiches? That's awesome! And lunch is fine. Something fresh does sounds nice," Xion replied and picked up a sandwich and was about to take a bite when she heard an oh so familiar voice.

"Morning~ Oh cool! Mom's signature chicken sandwich." Axel said and snatched the sandwich from Xion's grasp and took a bite from it before his little sister can react.

"H-Hey! That was mine! Give it back!" Xion stretched out her hands, trying to get it back. But Axel ignored her and pushed her down on the seat with his free hand on her head as he ate the last piece of the sandwich.

"Ah~ Delicious. Oh~ There's another one!" Axel exclaimed happily and tried to take the last sandwich on the plate. Xion quickly grabbed the last sandwich before her brother can and held it tightly to her chest, turning her back on Axel, so he can't take the sandwich from her.

"Slowpoke! That's mine! Mom put two on the plate, all for me!" Axel said and tried to grab the sandwich.

Xion pouted and said, "Nope! Mom put two and one for each of us! You ate mine just now so I ate yours now!" With that, she took a big bite from the sandwich.

Axel howled in pain and clutching his loose red T-shirt (where his heart is) tighter every time Xion took a bite from the sandwich. When she finished it, Axel fell onto his knees, whimpered with fake pain, "My sandwich… Oh! My heart ached to watch you eat it!" Then he slid onto the wooden floor, laying on his side and wrapped his arms around his knees, pulling them closer to him and shaking like an awfully sick person.

Xion simply rolled her eyes, because Axel acted like that all the time. Even though he's 20 years old now, he still acted like a 6 years old sometimes.

Their mother walked towards them with a plate of sandwiches in her right hand and two full cups in another. She placed the items onto the dining table and said, "Axel. If you don't stop it and stand up, you will not get anymore sandwiches."

After hearing that, Axel immediately jumped back onto his feet and pouted to his mom, "Aw~ I want more sandwiches…"

His mother smiled, tip-toed and patted Axel's head **(A.N. Axel is the tallest in the family. Duh~)**. "Alright then, since you listened to me. You can have more sandwiches. Axel, those two sandwiches just now are supposed to be Xion's portion. Yours is this plate." His mother said and pointed at the plate which has 8 sandwiches on it.

"YAY! All mine!" Axel exclaimed happily, took his seat and devoured as many sandwiches as he can at once.

Xion watched her brother eats and whined, "Not fair! I only ate 1! And now you got to eat 8 more? !"

"Because I have a big stomach, short stuff." Axel mumbled with sandwiches in his mouth.

"What kind of pathetic excuse is that? The average size of our stomach is only two fists big! Three sandwiches for you are already enough!" Xion retorted.

"Now is not the time for giving me a Biology class. Just shut up and drink your chocolate milk before I drink it for you," Axel said and put his 7th sandwiches of the day into his mouth.

Xion pouted angrily and turned to her mom. "Mom~ Axel eats more than me. Not fair. He already ate one of mine just now."

Their mom simply giggled and said, "Then take one from Axel."

Xion smirked and glanced over at Axel, who heard what his mom said and quickly placed his arms around his plate protectively. "There's no way I will give you one."

"Well. Mom said I can, so I will!" Xion stood up from her seat and chased after her brother around the dining room/kitchen with the plate of sandwiches in his hands.

"Give me one!"

"No way in hell I would give you one!" Axel yelled and shoved the 8th sandwich into his mouth. Only one sandwich left on that plate.

Roxas was walking towards Xion's house when he heard the shouting from the kitchen. He simply sweat-dropped with a small smile on his face. Axel must have refused to share something with Xion again. 'My my… Don't they have such an energetic morning?' He thought to himself and rang the doorbell twice.

"Don't touch it! I told you all of them are mine!"

"8 are too many for a skinny guy like you!"

"8 is my favorite number, so I can eat 8 of them!"

"Well, my favorite number is 14. Does that mean I got to eat 14 of them? !"

"No! You can only eat 5 because 1 + 4 = 5!"

"If you eat that last one, it would be your 9th! So you can't eat it!"

"So what? ! Demyx is my friend, and 9 is his favorite number, so I can eat it!"

"Demyx is my friend too! Argh! Give me that last one!"

"No!"

The shouting continues in the kitchen, so he assumed that they didn't hear him. Roxas was about to ring the door bell again when he heard the door being unlocked from the inside. The door swung opened, and in front of him stood a woman looks like in her early 20s, but it's already in her mid-40s. He put on a smile and greeted the woman, "Good morning, Mrs. Zayas."

"Oh hello, Roxas. And please, we have known each other for so long, and you're my children's best friend. Just call me by my first name, Alicia," Alicia Zayas told the blonde boy.

"If you say so, Mrs. Za- I mean. Alicia," Roxas said.

Mrs. Zayas smiled and said, "You're here to pick Xion up, aren't you?"

"Well, that's all I always do in the morning. I presumed that they are kinda busy," Roxas said as he got a glimpse into the dining room and saw Xion was on Axel's back, hitting his head, demanding him to give her whatever Axel refused to give. Ah~ Siblings love.

Mrs. Zayas turned to look at her children and said, "Ah yes. I made chicken sandwiches for breakfast, and they're fighting over it. I think I won't be making it for quite a long time.

'Xion's mom's chicken sandwiches? No wonder…' Roxas chuckled slightly in his mind. Axel and Xion's mother made the best chicken sandwich he has ever eaten in his entire life. One bite of that heavenly scrumptious sandwich will make your stomach screaming for more until it met its fill or you ran out of chicken sandwich to satisfy it any longer.

"Would you like one too, Roxas?" Alicia's voice snapped his gaze at the two Zayas in the kitchen and onto her.

"Oh! Um… One would be very nice," Roxas replied with a smile.

Alicia smiled and handed him a paper bag with the chicken sandwich inside. Oh god, he would enjoy his lunch very much today.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Roxas and Mrs. Zayas turned their head to the kitchen when they heard that victorious cry. On the floor is Axel, lying on his stomach, his face kissing the floor. His arms stretched out in front of him with an empty plate on his palms. And the person standing on top of him is Xion, with the last chicken sandwich in her hand, munching it happily.

"Great job on bringing down the skinny giant, Xio." Roxas said to Xion after Mrs. Zayas invited him to come in and entered the house.

Xion's eyes were wide opened when she heard Roxas's voice, and she almost dropped her breakfast when she saw him. She blushed immediately. "R-Roxas! W-What are you doing here?"

"To pick you up to school as usual, but you seem to be busy right now," He said and pointed at the fallen Axel.

"H-How long h-have you been standing there? How much did you see?" Xion asked with her face still red with embarrassment.

"Oh~ Just you clinging on Axel's back, trying to get something from him, and then you stand on his back. Like now," Roxas said and walked towards the two Zayas. "Oh. And I heard some of your 'conversations' with Axel outside."

"Oh. I see," Xion said and got off Axel, who stood up and handed the empty plate to his mom. Then he stretched his back, followed by a soft crack.

"Man… You're heavy. You know that? Maybe I should call you 'Fatso' instead of 'Slowpoke'." Axel clapped his hands together once then continued, "Oh! I know! I should call you 'Fat Slowpoke-so'. Yes! I'm a genius! Don't you agree my Roxas buddy?"

Roxas chuckled softly when Axel ruffled his hair.

Xion pouted angrily and retorted, "No way! Don't you dare agree to this skinny girlfriendless pyro, Roxas!"

"Who are you calling skinny and girlfriendless? I have muscles and I already told you that I am not girlfriendless. There are so many babes I don't know who to pick." Axel crossed his hands in front of his chest.

The raven-haired girl 'pffed' then said, "Who would love a pyro like you? You will only set their things on fire."

"No, I don't." Axel protested.

"Said the guy who set Emily's hair on fire." Roxas tried to muffle his laughter when he heard Xion said that.

Emily was one of Xion and Roxas's old friend when they were around 7. She was a sweet girl, but unfortunately, she fell in love with Xion's 11 years old pyro brother, Axel. One day, Emily decided to get near to Axel, but she didn't know that Axel always carried a lighter with him everywhere. Axel was showing off some fire tricks with his lighter to his friends, so he didn't notice Emily was coming towards him from behind. When Axel was swinging his lighter around and it accidentally caught one of Emily's braided pigtails on fire.

They panicked and tried to put out the fire, which is hard because Emily kept on running around in fear and pure shock. They finally managed to put the fire out with the content in their water bottle, but Emily's pigtail is already burned to nothing. Emily cried and ran back home. The next day, Xion and Roxas got the news that Emily didn't want to leave her room and wanted to stay away from a certain red-haired guy. Emily has been avoiding Axel ever since, until she moved away to another town at the age of 10.

Xion and Emily still contacted with each other with instant messenger. Emily now has a boyfriend, and the first thing she told Xion is: 'Now, I have a boyfriend who didn't set my hair on fire with a lighter when I tried to talk to him for the first time.'

Roxas finally couldn't hold back and laughed out loud, Xion joined it very soon. All Axel can do is blushed with embarrassment.

"That was an accident. It doesn't count."

"B-But- Hahaha! The point is that no one would love someone who will set their things on fire. I'm worry about you, bro. You're getting older and older every passing day and still has no one special to love and been love," Xion calmed herself down and told him.

Axel scowled and said, "You don't know anything about my life. I'm sure there are girls who love me and there is someone I will love forever."

"And those girls would be Grandma, Mom and me. I got to go to school now. See ya!" Xion bid her brother goodbye, grabbed her lunch and left to school with Roxas (who of course also said farewell to Axel).

Axel sighed as he watched them gone and murmured, "You don't know my life at all…" A flashback played in his head as he walked up the stairs and back to his bedroom.

_**~*~Flashback Start~*~**_

_It was the last day of summer back when Axel was only 15__th__ years old. His hair was still short, and he styled it upward. He was taking a 'last summer holiday walk of the year' around Twilight Town alone because Xion and Roxas were playing with their close friends. He was wearing his favorite clothes: a sleeveless orange jacket with a white, sleeveless shirt underneath, and tan, baggy pants with red and white sneakers and black socks. He also wears a yellow and brown keffiyeh around his neck. He doesn't have the purple upside-down triangle tattoo yet because he's still underage. _**(A.N. Axel here is in Lea's look. After all, Lea is his teenage original persona.)**

_His left hand was tugged into his pants' pocket while his other hand was holding the chain which attached to the bottom of his beloved lighter and swirled it beside him. He was humming a random song and was about to turn a corner when someone bumped into him with great speed and caused the both of them to fall onto the ground._

_Eyes closed from the pain, he pushed himself up and warned, "Watch where you're going!" He opened his eyes and saw that it was a girl around his age that bumped into him. Her blonde hair reached her shoulder, and has long bangs that hang loosely on the sides of her head. Her eyes are a beautiful emerald green that seems endless._

"_You should be saying about yourself. Spinning your lighter like that and doesn't even pay attention to it. The next thing you know, you lit something on fire." The blonde said and stood back onto her feet, dusting herself off. She glared down at Axel, who's still sitting on the floor. "What are you looking at? Never seen a girl before?" She asked coldly._

"_Um. It's not that," Axel said and jumped back onto his feet and tugged his lighter into his pocket. "Just wondering why you're running just now."_

"_It's none of yo-" The teen's sentence was cut short when a loud male voice exclaimed, "Where are you Sekito? ! You better come out now or I'll disfigure that pretty face of yours!"_

_Axel saw the blonde teen scowled as she looked over her shoulder and pressed herself to the wall, peeking at whoever that yelled just now. He followed her gaze and saw a buff man around 30, who was scanning around the area. Luckily, his back was facing them. His hair was ash brown, and he wore a white sleeveless shirt (which has some brown stains on it) and black baggy pants that touched the heel of his grey slippers. He noticed there's something reflecting light from his pocket. Something that is metal, like a pocket knife. He flinched slightly from the thought. _

_Axel's gaze shifted from that dangerous looking man and onto the blonde teen, who's still keeping her eyes on the man. It seems like she is trying to get away from him. He used this chance to inspect the girl and her clothes. Her figure is good, not too thin nor too fat. She wore a black sleeveless shirt with yellow coloured lightening designs to show her flawless skin arms, and camouflage-print shorts to show her long creamy legs and cool black combat boots._

'_She's kinda hot…' Axel thought to himself._

"_Darn it…" The girl's voice snapped him out of his daze, thought that she had caught him staring at her. But the teen girl's eyes weren't on him. It was still on the man, who was now walking towards their direction, and he looked really pissed off. _

_The girl turned to look at him and hissed. "What are you doing? ! Let's go before he found us, you fool!"_

"_W-What?" Before Axel can even finish his line, the girl had grabbed him tightly by the wrist and pulled him away, towards the direction he just came from. Axel tried to break free. He wanted to ask her who is that pissed off guy, why is she running from him, and why is she dragging him away, and of course asking himself how he got himself into this mess. The girl's grip was tight like a bear trap, struggling only hurt him more as her long and sharp fingernails dug into his skin and flesh. He soon gave up and keeps up to her pace. _

_The girl would look over her shoulder once in awhile; to make sure that man didn't find them yet. Suddenly, a shout came from far behind them. "Sekito! Stop right there, you piece of worthless trash!" Both of the teens turned their head, and at the foot of the slope stood the man from before, and he looked way more furious. The next thing they knew, the man is running towards them._

"_Run!" Axel doesn't need to be told the second time as he turned and started to run as fast as he can. The girl wasn't slow at all. Her speed was almost the same as his, and they ran side by side, trying to get away from that man. _

_Right after they ran around a corner, the blonde grabbed Axel by his arm and pulled him into a gap between two buildings which the shadow is dark enough to conceal them. The problem is that the gap is narrow and rather small. In order for both of them to fit into it and able to let the shadow to consume them, they have to press their back against the wall and faced each other. Axel flushed a light pink when he felt his abdomen touched hers. As they moved deeper into the gap to reach where the shadow is darker, their chests were so close that Axel can feel her rib raise and fall as she breathes. In order to make themselves more comfortable in that tight position, they changed their breathing, so when he breathes out, she breathes in and vice versa._

_The both of them waited for awhile and heard loud heavy footsteps getting nearer to their hideout. "Sekito! Where the heck are you? ! You're in so much trouble!" Unexpectedly, the man stopped right in front of the gap where they hid to catch his breath. Just one small noise and they're dead meat. There is no way out in that gap except for that entrance. Axel held his breath and he realized the girl did the same. After a moment, which seems like forever, the man continued his search for the girl and ran down another slope towards the market part of the town. _

_Waiting till the man's footsteps were gone, both of them let out a big sigh of relief and started to breathe normally._

"_Who… Is that g-guy?" Axel asked the blonde while panting._

_The blonde just gave him a glare and said, "It's none of your business."_

"_Well. You dragged me into this mess. I think I deserve to get some information," Axel questioned the girl as she moved a little to her left, so they are no longer squeezing with each other. _

_She leaned against the wall and said, "I don't have the intention of dragging you into this mess. You just happen to be by the corner when I'm running. And you can leave right after that, but no. You just have to stand there are looking at me like some freak."_

_Axel felt his cheeks slightly heat up, embarrassed to know that the girl actually caught him staring at her just now. "W-Well. How can someone not be curious about a girl who is running away from a dangerous looking guy? Again, who is that guy? And this time, I want a real answer."_

_The girl sighed and replied, "That's my step-father."_

_Axel's emerald eyes went wide opened. "That guy is your what?"_

"_Are you deaf or something? I said that guy is my step-father!" The blonde then rolled her eyes and murmured something like: 'All guys didn't listen.'_

_Axel shrugged off that last part and asked again, "And why are you running away from him? Family conflicts? Harassment? Abuse?"_

_The girl tensed a little and gave him a small nod. "Yeah… Something like those…"_

_Axel blinked twice and asked carefully. Something about this girl seems a little violent, and he really didn't want to see her other side. "Um… He didn't um… You know… Do 'that' to you, right?"_

"_What? Wait. What? ! Oh dear god, no!" The girl said with a disgusted face. "Ew! You men are all so dirty minded!" Then she kicked him on the shin. Hard._

" _Ow! What you do that for? I'm not like that kind of people you think I am!" Axel rubbed the part where the girl kicked him and retorted to defend his status. "Just that when I asked is it harassment or abuse, and you said yes. That just came into my mind naturally. I have a sister, you know. I didn't want anything like that to happen to her. I'm not that kind of people."_

_The blonde shrugged and simply said, "Whatever." _

"_Then, what did your step-father did to you that make you want to run away?" Axel asked on, clearly he had gotten interested with the girl. She might be a little violent (with the bear-trap grip, hard kicking and cold, stern looking face she put on), but she is pretty. Violent yet pretty, his kind of girl. To think about it again, he doesn't remember meeting her in school before. 'I wonder does she go to the same school as me…'_

_The girl made eye contact with him with her cold looking face on and replied, "Just to make things clear, I didn't run away. I'm just going to take a walk, but he has mistaken me for running away. As for what he did to me, just beatings, scolding and cuttings. But if he's really drunk, he'll try to drown me."_

_Axel flinched at the 'drown' part. The girl continued, "He knows I'm scared of water, so he usually pushed my head into the water. He'll lift my head up for me to breathe then shoved me underwater again. He'll do this for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then he'll get bored with this for the day and went off like a light somewhere." Axel nodded as he listened, he doesn't really like water either. He would feel the same as her if he was put under such torture. _

"_Why did he hurt you?" Axel asked._

_The girl gave him a small smirk and teased, "You're a question asking machine. You know that?" Axel blushed again, but left unnoticed by the blond. _

"_S-Sorry… Just curious…" The red haired teenage apologized._

"_It's okay… Actually, I felt much better after telling you all this. It's like two heavy dumbbells just got lifted from my shoulders." The blonde told him with a smile. Her cold looking mask was gone, and she looked relaxed and… happy._

"_A-Ah. G-Glad to help," Axel stammered._

"_My step-father is not like this before. He was the most prefect guy before my mother and he married. He changed after that. He became violent and started to throw vulgar words at us. My mother wanted to divorce with him after 2 years, unable to stand him anymore, but he disagreed. That 'most prefect guy' we know are only a costume that is now long gone. After 2 more years, my mom is gone. He became even more violent ever since. Slapping changed to punching, flashing knives in front of me changed to cutting and added a new abuse: drowning." The blonde crossed her hands on her chest and continued, "I know I won't be able to stand him any longer. So I decided to move away right after I got enough munny to start my own life. It won't be long now. That day is coming very soon."_

"_Don't you call for help? Child abuse is serious, especially one like you're experiencing," Axel asked, hopes that he would be able to help her with her family problem. _

_The girl simply chuckled lowly and said, "I don't need others' pity to live. I have been under the same roof with him for more than 5 years. I know how to deal with him, but my personality changed to a bit sadistic, because I learned it from him. As far as I know, he won't kill me, yet. Don't worry though, I'll call the police and tell them everything when I decided to move out. With him in jail at that time, I don't have to worry he'll know where I'll be going. Then I'll be able to get away from him for real."_

_Axel nodded as he listened to her future plans. To start a new life without her parents would be hard, but she looks like the kind of girl who will be able to take care of herself without any problems. "Are the cuttings he made fatal?"_

"_No. Deep enough to draw quite a lot of blood, but not deep enough to leave a scar or make me bleed to death. I'll be happy to show you the cut he made a few days ago, if you want." The blonde told him._

"_U-Um… If you're sure about that, then sure." Axel said, thought that the cut must be on her arms._

_The girl then grabbed the hem of her shirt and was about to pull it up when a red-faced Axel interrupted her, "Wait! If you need to take off your clothes to show me that cut, then no! I don't want to see it!"_

_The girl blinked then laughed loudly, clutching her stomach and pointing her index finger at him, "Hahahahaha! You silly! Why would I take off my shirt? Hahaha!"_

"_B-but. Y-you. You were about to lift up your shirt!" Axel retorted with his face still red._

_The girl tried her best to stop laughing and told the confused boy, "That's because the cut is on my waist, you flame head. See?" The girl lifted her shirt a little to expose a small part of her waist, where a line of clotted blood can be seen. If Axel didn't guess it wrong, that cut is about 10 centimeters long. _

"_Other cuts are on my legs and arms, but almost all of them had healed," The blonde said and released her grip on her shirt's hem. _

"_Really? I don't see any of them on your hands," Axel questioned._

_The girl made a small smile and said, "Foolish guy. I concealed them with makeup, of course. Who want to walk around in town showing cut marks all over their body? Not me."_

"_Y-yeah. Not me either," Axel chuckled and the girl only smiled. Somehow, Axel was glad that he was dragged into this mess. He got to meet this pretty girl and know so much about her. Except one simple thing…_

_Axel stood up straight and hold out his hand to the blond, who is raising an eyebrow. "What are you intending to do, Spiky head?" She inquired._

_Axel gave her his famous, handsome grin and said, "I believe we haven't properly introduced ourselves. My name is Axel. Axel Zayas. Axel for friends and family; Zayas for other people. It is spelled as A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"_

_The girl snickered when she heard his catchphrase. "Then what should I call you? Axel or Zayas?"_

"_Axel, of course. Didn't I tell you to get that memorized?"_

_The blonde smirked and held her hand up. "It is memorized now. Hello then, Axel. My name is La-" _

_Before the girl can finish her introduction and their hands met to a handshake, the blonde was pulled out of the gap and out to the orange street. "Ah!" Both of them cried out in surprise._

_Stunned from the sudden event happened right before his eyes, Axel's feet were glued to the spot for a few seconds. But he quickly recovered and stepped out of the shadowed gap. Axel looked around and didn't see the girl in sight. Just then he heard the conversation of two women who gave him the answer of the girl's location._

"_Did you see that man with the girl just now before they go around that corner?" A woman with brown hair tied to a bun asked her blond friend while pointing to a far corner._

"_Ah, yes. I saw them. That girl seems to be in trouble. But she called the man 'dad', so I presume they are family."_

"_Do you think the girl would be alright? The way the man grabbed her looked harsh… Even if they are family." The brunette asked._

"_It does. But sometimes, we just can't barge into someone else's business." The blonde replied._

"_Yes… You got a point there."_

_After the short conversation came to an end, Axel quickly ran to the corner which the brunette said earlier. Turned around the corner, and looked up to the street very far away from where he is, he saw that it was the very same man whom they are running away from was the one who pulled the girl out of the gap and dragged her away. His left arm circled around her waist tightly and the girl body was facing Axel._

"_Let go of me, you drunk bastard!" Axel could hear the girl yelled to her step-father as she clawed the hand which is around her waist._

"_Hey! Stop!" Axel shouted and ran down the slope, towards them. If he knew her name earlier, he would be able to get her attention. She didn't seem to notice his shout as she continued to yell different curses to her useless, abusive step-father. _

"_That's it! I had it with you!" The blonde yelled and bit hard into her step-father's arms. Her fingernails also dug deeper into his flesh. With the unexpected pain, the man yelped and swung his arm. The girl, who had lost her grip, was thrown across the rough stoned floor. She crashed onto the floor and rolled for a few times before coming to a stop. _

_Axel gasped at the scene __**(A.N. He's still running towards them…)**__. "Hey! Are you okay? !" _

_The blonde groaned in pain and pushed herself off the floor. She immediately gripped her upper right hand, where her skin was scratched due to the landing. Fresh blood oozed from the new wound._

_The man examined his hand. The girl's fingernails had cut into his flesh and drew blood, and her bite left a deep mark. He glared at the blonde girl and rumbled, "I clothe you, feed you and give you a roof to stay under, and this is how you repay me? !" He gestured to the marks on his hand._

_The girl glared back and yelled, "For your information. It was me and mom who gave you all that stuff! You're nothing but a worthless man who can't do anything by himself!" The girl winced in pain and examined her wound._

_The man growled in anger and pulled something out of his pocket. Axel thought that it was a pocket knife before, but what he saw now shocked him even more. It wasn't a pocket knife. It was a dagger!_

"_LOOK OUT!" Axel screamed out to the girl, warned her just in time for her to turn her head and saw the man hurled towards her with the sharp dagger in his hand. The girl dodged his attack as fast as she can, but the sharp metal was still managed to make a deep cut on her right hand, right where the skin was scratched. _

_The girl screamed out in pain as her flesh was slashed open and more blood poured out from her veins. _

"_No!" Axel yelled when he saw her been cut and increased his running speed. Fished his lighter out from his pocket, he quickly starts the fire and set it to his favorite setting: Locked. **(A.N. This means the fire will burn continuously without pressing down the button or whatever that is called.)** Then he shouted angrily to the man. "Hey you! Guy with the dagger! Yeah! You!"_

_Right after the man looked up to him, Axel smirked and yelled, "Think fast!" With that, he threw his lighter towards the man with all his might. Caught in surprise, the man wasn't able to dodge, and so the lighter quickly caught his shirt on fire, light the man up like a matchstick. As the man was busying trying to extinguish the fire which was licking the shirt away slowly, Axel rushed to the bleeding girl aid._

"_Oh my god! Are you okay?" Axel asked the girl while helping her to sit up._

"_Well? What do you think by just looking at me?" The girl asked and winced in pain and clutched her wound harder. Red blood was flowing from it like red rivers, staining her fingers, arm and created a red puddle on the floor._

_Axel felt heat creep up to his cheeks in embarrassment when he realized he just asked a very stupid question. "Sorry. Let me stop the bleeding," Axel said and took off his keffiyeh. Folded it, so it would be a long trapezium, then tied it around the girl's new cut. He frowned a little when he saw her wound. 'And she told me those cuts are not deep…'_

_Axel was just done tightening the knot when he heard a groan from behind him. He turned and realized it was from the girl's step-father. He managed to extinguish the fire and from the look of his face, it was clear that his was beyond pissed. _

"_You'll pay for that!" The man growled and lunged towards them with the blood-stained dagger in his hand. Axel quickly hugged and covered the girl, using himself as a shield for her. He shut his eyes tight, waiting for the incoming pain on his back. Instead, a gunshot was heard and followed by a familiar scream. _

_Axel opened his eyes and turned to look at the man, who was laying on his side on the floor, clutching his injured leg, which has a bullet hole and blood flowed out of it. The dagger lay harmlessly by his side. He turned his head to the other side and saw the police. Someone must have called them when they saw the man attacked the girl earlier. _

_Axel and the blonde girl were able to sigh out in relief as the police came and handcuffed the man. One of the police asked them are they okay and they replied 'yes'. The girl might be hurt, but overall, she's okay. But she still needs to get her wound treated before it gets infected._

_As the police was busy getting the man back onto his feet and putting the blood-stained dagger into an evidence bag, Axel asked the girl, "Now that your step-father is going to jail. What are you going to do next?"_

"_Didn't I told you that I'll move out one day? And that day is coming very soon?"_

_Axel nodded._

"_Well… It seems like that day is today. After the police asked me the necessary questions and showing them evidence of him abusing me, I'll pack then leave right away from that hellhole that was once called home." The blonde said. _

"_So fast? ! But where are you going to stay for the night?" The red-haired teen questioned._

"_I have things planned out already. For tonight, I'll stay in the motel. Took the next train to the next town tomorrow and rent a small apartment I had set my eyes on in the internet. I'll find a job and the rest will leave it to faith's hands." The girl told him._

_Axel's heart ached when he heard that she will leave tomorrow. They just met and now they will be apart. He thought he would be able to hang out with her more in the future… _

"_Oh. Axel," The girl spoke._

"_Yeah?" _

"_Thanks for setting my step-father on fire. I like that sight every much," The girl thanked him with a smile._

_Axel's eyes were wide opened as he blinked. Ever since the 'Set Emily's Pigtail on Fire' incident, he was certain that girls hate to see things that are belong to them on fire. Or so he thought… 'This girl is so different from the others.'_

_Just then, a female police walked towards them and told the girl to follow them to the police station. The police was about to tell Axel to come as well when the girl told her, "He just happened to walk by and helped me. That's all. I'll tell you more when we are in the police station." The female police nodded and told the girl to follow her._

"_Well… This is goodbye. Thank you anyway," The blonde thanked him._

"_Oh… Um… Will we meet again?" _

_The girl gave him a small smile and said, "Let's let fate decide that."_

"_O-Okay then. Bye," Axel said, not really satisfied with her answer, and watched the girl followed the police away._

_Axel sighed in disappointment and was about to turn and go home when he heard the girl called out to him. "Hey, flame head! My name is Larxene Sekito! Larxene for friends; Sekito for other. You better get that memorized!"_

_Axel smiled, waving her goodbye while he shouted back, "I will!"_

_Larxene made a small smile then turned and continued to follow the police. _

_Axel lowered his hand when she was no longer in sight. "See you soon…" He muttered._

_But he didn't, for 5 years._

_**~*~Flashback End~*~**_

Axel grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe and entered the bathroom. 5 years… It has been 5 years since that day and they have never met once. Will they ever get the chance to meet each other?

Axel placed his clothes on the clothes rack and looked at himself in the mirror. He had changed in those 5 years. His hair is longer and now he styled it downwards like a porcupine's spines. He also got the purple upside-down triangle under his eyes on his 18th birthday. He has also gotten a lot taller, and his face is now a bit pointier than when he's 15.

"Will she remember me like this? I wonder how she looks like now," Axel murmured and splashed a handful of water onto his face. He looked at himself again and quoted, "Let's let fate decide that…" He snickered then continued, "Fate's decision stinks if you ask me." He sighed and took out his wallet, opened it and pulled out a small picture cutout from the newspaper from 5 years ago.

He caressed the face of the girl in that picture cutout and murmured, "Fate is torturing me… Do you know that, Larxene?" He stared at her picture for a full minute then whispered, "It has been torturing me since the minute we parted… I miss you…"

A small tear rolled down his cheek slowly and he quickly wiped it away. He knows why his heart ached when he remembered seeing her hurt, and why he shed a tear when he thought about her every night. He had fallen in love with her. And fallen hard.

With a huge sigh, he put the picture back into his wallet and get ready for another day of his life without her.

~*~Sing Me A Song~*~

Meanwhile in Twilight Starz High, Xion and Roxas was walking side by side towards their Biology class. Xion was playing with her tie, feeling uncertain.

Roxas noticed this and asked her, "Hey. Are you alright?"

Xion shook her head slightly, turned her head to her left and looked up to Roxas. "I don't. I felt guilty saying those things to Axel. I mean. Everyone gets the chance to love and been love by someone special in their life. What I said to him just now… It's like I'm telling him he will be single forever. And I don't want that… I want him to have a family of his own, play with his grand children and show them his fire tricks, and sit on a rocking chair with the person he loved the most by his side as they looked at the sunset while holding their hand when they are old and has a loving smile pasted on their face."

Roxas blinked and said, "You read too many romance novels…"

"So? What they said is true. Axel deserves to be loved by someone. I'm scared I'll be the one who is responsible for making him single. I have to apologize to him. I have to let him know what I said this morning is all nonsense! And I want to be the aunt of his children." Xion said with determination.

Roxas nodded and said, "You're right. I should say sorry to him too. I shouldn't laugh when you brought up the Emily topic. We all know that is an accident. It doesn't 100% proof that girls will hate him because he likes to play fire and set things on fire or blow something up."

Xion nodded and asked, "So, we go apologize to him together?"

"Sure."

"Then it's a deal! We'll go apologize to him after school!" Xion said happily and turned her head back to forward. Just then, someone caught the corner of her eyes. She turned to her right and saw Flippe Kellett, who was smirking at her in a hallway and point to his wrist watch, reminding her about the 'promise' they made 2 days ago. Xion scowled at that him, but nodded her head slightly to him.

Meanwhile with Roxas, someone with blonde hair also caught his eyes. Natalie Rasp was surrounded by her friends by the lockers and she winked at him when they made eye contact. Roxas scowled when he remembered the deal they made 2 weeks ago. Then, he saw her mouthed him 'See me after school or else'. After that last word, she sent a glare to the girl next to him. Roxas got the message and nodded to her with a frown. There's no way he will let Natalie sent out her 'mad dogs' to hurt Xion.

'After I deal with that annoying person first…' Both of them thought at the same time and proceed to their class.

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**That's it! Wow! I can't believe I can finish it. :D Please don't stop reading. The story would get interesting from this chapter on and I hope you can stay and tell me how it is. And please read the new one-shot story by me when it's published if you can. Thx u!  
**

**BTW, I wrote Larxene to be in her Somebody's appearance (which we have no idea how she looks like) in this chap. I used the appearance I got from wikia.  
**

******Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Axel Zayas**

**Larxene Sekito  
**

**Alicia Zayas (aka Mrs. Zayas)  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya all soon!**


	8. The Other Devil is Who?

**I'M A HORRIBLE HORRIBLE PERSON! DX I'M SO SORRY! SORRY! DX I got writers block once again, they just keep coming! SORRY!**

**So sorry for this late update, but I do hope you guys enjoy the new one-shot RokuShion story I posted last week (is it?). Anyway...**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, emmausgirl94, NoOneXIII and Starowner for reviewing this story. Especially Takamira, emmausgirl94, NightfallSky, NoOneXIII and Starowner for reviewing the previous chapter. Thx you guys so MUCH! You rocks!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV and NoOneXIII for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV and Starowner for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested to be THE AWESOME PEOPLE like them?  
**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Cookies for everyone!  
**

**I hope you all will enjoy this chap. And I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story. Enjoy! :D**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 8: The Other Devil is Who?

'Why does the time has to be so fast today? !' Xion screamed mentally as she exited her Business Studies class with Roxas, Sora, Kairi and Riku. Namine doesn't really like business-related subjects, so she has her French class while her friends have Business Studies. Next, they will have English Language class together.

Xion scowled as they walked to their respective lockers to drop off stuffs and get their necessary books for their next class. English is the 4th class of the day and after two more classes, it would be the end of school and that means she has to go meet that Devil. Normally, she would argue that the time is too slow, now, when she wants the time to be slow, it just has to be cruel and do the opposite of what she wants. 'Why does the time hate me? !' Xion groaned and leaned her forehead onto her locker after she closed it.

Roxas noticed this and asked, "Hey, Xion. Are you okay?"

"Ya… Just a bit stress from all those business facts from Mr. Luxord. Maybe you can give me a lesson on Business someday. Tee-hee," Xion giggled softly and stood up straight. That wasn't a lie, she didn't really enjoy business classes. She turned to her best friend and said, "Roxas. Um… You see, Ms. Roullett told me to meet her in the Art room after school so she could help me to finish one of my works. So… Um… Do you mind waiting for me for like 15 minutes before we go apologize to Axel together, or I'll go meet you in your house then we go together?"

"Oh. It's fine. My sword fighting class coach would also like me to meet him after school so he could teach me a few new techniques that would help me in the sword fighting competition. It would also take about 15 minutes or so. So I don't have to wait." Roxas told the black-haired girl with a smile.

Xion grinned and said, "So we meet each other here after that 15 minutes?"

Roxas grinned back and nodded. "Sure."

Xion grinned happily and said, "We better get going. Mr. Xigbar won't be happy if we're late for English class again."

Roxas gave her a soft smile and said, "Of course. Mr. Gun-Obsesser would probably shoot us with his gun collection, which he told us in every single class for 20 minutes, if we're late for the 3rd time of the week."

"If he's going to shoot us, he better has a big fat wallet in his pocket ready to pay for all of our medical bills," Xion said as they walked side by side as always. "And come on. So what we came to the class late? Like you said, he used the first 20 minutes blabbering about his collection. The class wasn't officially started yet."

Roxas chuckled, "Come on. We might be able to catch up with the others if we're fast enough." He softly grabbed her by the wrist and together, they trotted to where their English Language class is and hoped to meet their friends.

Xion looked down to where Roxas hand was gently holding her wrist and felt heat creeps up to her cheek. She just realized that Roxas's skin was cozily warm and surprisingly quite smooth even after all those years wielding a sword in each hand and all those intense sword fighting classes.

Slowly, Xion slid her hand down so Roxas was holding her hand instead of her wrist. Roxas looked back a little to give her a smile then turned his head back. Xion smiled back, gripped his hand tighter and they trotted to their next class together.

Both of the teen's hand fit perfectly with each other's throughout the whole way.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Xion moaned in depress as she lurched down the empty hallway. She sighed as she remembered the weekly meetings held for the teachers. That means Ms. Roullett and the other teachers would be having a meeting, so it was impossible to have an extra class with her. Xion hoped Roxas didn't figure that out and realized that she was telling him a lie. Yet again, Roxas told her that his coach told him to meet him after school too. Maybe only a few teachers need to attend the meeting today. So Roxas wouldn't figure out she's lying then… Maybe that's a good thing. But, the thing that is bothering her is…

'I lied to my best friend…' Xion thought and sighed deeply. She's never good at lying, and lying to her only best friend hurts her, and it would hurt Roxas too if he found out. Just like what she'll feel if Roxas lied to her.

"This is all _his_ fault!" Xion mumbled under her breath.

"All who's fault?"

Xion swore her spirit almost jumped out of her when that voice asked from behind her. She turned and looked at the speaker, only to make a scowl and groaned in annoyance.

"All is your fault, Devil! If it wasn't because of you, I'll be watching Roxas practicing his sword fighting right now!" Xion growled and crossed her arms in front of her chest. It has been always exciting to watch Roxas practice his sword fighting. She could imagine what he would look like after hours of practicing now. The way the sweat on his face and hair glistened under the light, and the way he stood while he's wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand when he's still holding his swords in his hand, and how hot he is in his sweat drenched white muscle shirt, which turned translucent and stuck onto his body even more, showing all the outlines of his nicely toned chest and abs in details, as if he wasn't wearing a shirt at all. He looks so dreamy… and sexy...

Xion snapped out of her thought and mentally slapped herself. 'I'm actually thinking that Roxas is sexy! Yes. He is good looking, but he is your best friend for god's sake! Stop thinking things like that!' She scolded herself but couldn't stop herself from blushing.

Flippe raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really? Hikari is practicing his sword fighting right now? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Really? And how do you know he is practicing right now?" Flippe asked on.

"Roxas told me he has extra class after school. He told me that his coach wanted to teach him some new fighting techniques. So he has to be practicing now," Xion replied.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Pity little Xi-Xi. Don't you remember that today is Thursday? Every teacher would be having the weekly meeting. None of the teachers are free to give anyone any extra classes. Do you really think Hikari is practicing with his coach now?" Flippe said with a smirk pasted on his face.

Xion twitched and scowled. "Don't you ever call me that name again if you want to be a father in the future…"

Flippe smirked even wider and teased, "Call you what, Xi-Xi?"

Xion bundled up her fists so hard she felt her nails dug into her flesh. She hissed, "Don't push me…"

Flippe snickered. That smirk of his wasn't erased from his face. "Back to the topic, do you really think Hikari is with his coach right now? He could be lying to you."

"Yes. Maybe not all teachers are needed to attend this week meeting, that is why Roxas's sword fighting coach can give him the 15 minutes extra class. And he would never lie to me. There's no reason for him to lie." Xion told him.

"Are you sure that he has no reason? Listen, Xion." Flippe took a step towards her and cupped her chin tightly in his hand, forcing her to gaze right into his icy blue eyes.

Xion wanted to pull back, away from that cheating hand of the school's popular playboy. But, that would be the sign of her fear, and she didn't want Flippe to know that she's afraid of him. She has to be strong, especially now that Flippe is accusing that Roxas is lying to her. Which Xion believes it's not true. She has to defend him. She also realized that Flippe called her 'Xion' instead of the usual 'Zayas' or didn't say her name at all. What's with the sudden changes? The touch and the calling. What the hell?

"You…" Flippe brought up his other hand and gave Xion's cheek a gentle brush, just beneath her left eye. The ravenette flinched slightly and felt goose bumps raised up on her arms from the way he touched her. She tried to make the flinch unnoticeable, but he noticed it clearly. "You're a pretty little thing, you know that Xion? However, you just have to ruin the life - like mine - that pretty face of yours can give you by blinding yourself with that so called 'friendship' between you and Roxas Hikari. Do you even have the slightest idea how Hikari will destroy the life you have now and kicked you to a life of depression and sufferings? Do you even know that he lied to you about having an extra class with his coach? Do you? !"

Xion flinched again when Flippe shouted out the last two words. She could still hear the soft ringing in her ears. She glared at him and yelled back, "No, no and no! I don't know any of it because Roxas would never do such a thing!"

Flippe stared at her with an emotionless expression for a full minute then gave her the most devilish smirk he can make. "Would you be shocked after you know why I wasn't with Natalie right now but here with you?" He leaned himself towards her, his hand still cupping her chin and stared into her azure blue eyes, where he saw anger, curiosity and a hint of fear.

"Well. That depends on what you're going to tell me. You know very well that I cared absolutely nothing about you and that witch," Xion replied.

Flippe snickered then let go of Xion, who lifted up her hand and gave her chin a rub. Flippe spoke, "I wasn't with Natalie now because she has to meet her _real_ right-hand man, who spent very little time with her every week. But, they shared a very strong bond and they did a very good job in hiding it from the rest of the world."

"Rasp's real right-hand man? I thought you're her only right-hand man, Devil! I have never ever seen her told someone else to do something for her except you before." Curiosity filled her tone.

"Like I said just now, they hid their relationship very well."

Xion raised one of her eyebrows slightly and said, "I presume that that real right-hand man is the other devil you're talking about, am I right?"

Flippe nodded and told her, "And I'll be happy to show you who he is. They would be just around a few corners. I might be able to show the 'other devil' to you if we go now. You'll be shocked when you saw him."

"Why would I?" Xion asked before Flippe hand grabbed tightly around her wrist and forcefully pulled her forward.

"You'll know it when you see it." With that Flippe managed to drag her across the hallways to where he said Natalie and the 'other devil' would be, despite Xion struggling against his grip the whole way. After making a few turns and passed a few hallways, they stopped near a corner, which lead to Natalie's locker and she could hear soft talking.

'There is where they would meet each other?' Xion thought and successfully snatched her hand back.

"You stay here quietly. I'll check whether they are together or not." Flippe commanded her and walked silently towards the corner. He poked his head out of the corner and looked to the other hallway. After a moment, he pulled back and gestured Xion to come to him.

Xion scowled and did as he motioned. She stopped in front of him and gave him a 'what-do-you-want-me-to-do-now' face.

Flippe just nodded his chin to the other hallway, telling her to peek into it. Xion blinked twice and did as he told. She pokes her head a bit out, stopped when she can look into the hallway. Not far from her, is Natalie and… Roxas… And they are… …

'**KISSING!**' Xion mentally screamed as the word kept on repeating in her head, like a broken record that won't stop no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Mix of emotions rushed in her veins. Anger, betrayal, sadness, curiosity, surprise, hatred, and a lot more. But, emotions she's sure that didn't run in her veins right now is happiness and joy. They had disappeared like mist in a warm morning.

Roxas's back was facing her, so he didn't notice that he was being spied by his best friend. Natalie's arms wrapped around Roxas's neck tightly, deepening the kiss they shared and muffled the moans that escaped from her mouth. Roxas's hands were placed on her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, closing the gap between them inch by inch. They were so close they can merge into a single thing like a cell.

The sight was horrible. It was pure horror! Xion wanted to turn and run away from them, but her legs were rooted to the ground. Her eyelids refuse to shut, forcing her to watch her best friend kissing her enemy, the school's popular female student and bully, and the Yellow-Eyed Witch.

With control over her body once again, she turned and walked away from the couple quickly. If Flippe wasn't following her and saying 'I told you so.', 'We always warn you about him.' etc., she would be crying right now. She really wanted to cry her heart out. She could feel the tears tried to escape from the corner of her eyes, but she held them back.

"You once said that you hate a devil that works under a witch. How about a devil that works with a witch, huh? Won't you hate that devil even more?" Flippe asked.

Xion shook her head, which shocked Flippe. She didn't hate Roxas? Even after she saw him kissing Natalie with her own eyes?

"Why? Why won't you hate him? He lied about not in a relationship with Natalie. He lied about being training with his coach now just to meet Natalie. And he kissed Natalie! Doesn't that at least tell you that he betrayed you in your friendship? !" Flippe questioned loudly.

Xion hung her head as she continued walking. "Yes… He might have lied to me that he is going to meet his coach after school and also lied that he is not Natalie's boyfriend. But… I lied to him today too. And maybe he does like Natalie… But he doesn't tell me because he didn't want me to be upset or something… There must be a reason for all the lies…"

"I tell you what the reason is. The reason is that he doesn't care about you anymore. He didn't want to tell you anything because you don't need to know. And if he did tell you, you'll just shower him with numerous annoying questions." Flippe told her.

Xion kept her head hang low and asked, "And how you know about that?"

"I know about it because he told me himself." Xion gasped when he said that. Flippe continued, "Hikari told me that you're annoying, like a pest, you never leave his side and let him have time to meet Natalie. You're taking up all his time and he even said he wished he wasn't your friend anymore. However… he said you would be come to a use sometimes, so he'll be your 'friend' until you're nothing. Then he will take the scissor, snip the strings and leave you. Like a puppet he said you are."

Xion's petite form started to shudder as she soaked in all those harsh sentences. Does Roxas really hate her? Does he really don't want to be her friend anymore? Is he really using her? But... Use her for what?

"No…" She whispered.

"What?" Flippe asked, didn't catch what she said just now.

"No…" Xion repeated, louder this time. "No. I don't believe you! Roxas would never treat me like that!" Xion snapped as she turned to face Flippe.

Flippe groaned and yelled, "You saw him kissing Natalie with your very own eyes! You won't even believe that? ! That is the evidence!"

Xion shook her head. "No! I would say my eyes are deceiving me rather than believing in what you said! Roxas has been my friends for more than 10 years! He would never treat me like that! Never! Never…" The next thing she knows, tears are rolling down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor.

Flippe smirked but quickly dismissed it so Xion won't notice it. "You never know, Xion. People change."

Xion flinched at the last sentence. Yes, people do change. But Roxas would never… Or would he?

Flippe extended his hand to brush a loose bang from her face, but she quickly slapped it away. "Don't touch me! You liar!"

Without another word, Xion turned and ran out of school, crying the whole way back home.

_Kellett's lying! Roxas would never! Never…_

Her heartbroken sobs filled the once quiet woods.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"I'll force her to watch me eat all the remaining sandwiches and I will definitely not give her one this time," Axel said as he took the plate of his mother's delicious chicken sandwiches from the fridge and was about to use his lighter to heat up the sandwiches when he remembered the last time he tried to warm up the waffles and earned an hour lecture from his mom. So, he placed the plate into the microwave oven to heat the sandwiches up instead. He could already taste the awesomeness of the sandwiches on his tongue and see the shock and anger on his sister's face when she watched him gobbled all the sandwiches down into his stomach, which he's sure is not in the size of two fists.

He doesn't have any part-time job today and Demyx was busy, so he can't hang out with him like the usual after school. Xion would be practicing the piano with Roxas in his house, so he doubted they would be at the clock tower, having ice cream. With nothing to do, he went home while eating the sea salt ice cream in his hand.

Mom told him that Xion won't be home until 5pm or even later. Now it's only 3. 25pm but his stomach is already screaming for the delicious sandwiches. 'One sandwich would be fine. I'll leave the rest until Xion came home.' He thought and took the piping hot sandwiches out of the microwave oven and took a big sniff of the mouthwatering aroma.

With a huge grin on his face, he picked up a sandwich and was about to take a big bite when the front door slammed open and shut with a 'bang'.

Curious, he tilted his head looked to the small foyer, wondering who is it that barged into the house so loudly. There stood his sister; head hanging low, eyes were shielded by her black hair and she was taking off her shoes.

'Xion's home? Why so early? Anyway…' Axel thought and picked up the plate and walked towards her.

"Hey sis! See what I got! Chicken sandwiches! And you're not getting a- Huh?" Axel looked at his sister, who don't even lift her head up and looked at him. She was awfully quiet, and that is not normal for her energetic nature. Something is wrong. His brother instinct knows it.

"Hey, Xi. Are you alright?" Axel asked and bended down a little to see her face.

Xion nodded her head and forced a small smile on her face. "Ah… Yes, brother. I just got a bit depress with the surprise quiz today…"

"Really?" Axel asked.

Xion nodded again and lied once more. Somehow, lying and crying is what she's good at now. "Of course. I'll be in my room okay? I have to do some homework."

"Ah. Sure…" Axel said and watched his sister walked up the stairs and disappeared from view. He frowned, entered the kitchen and placed the sandwiches back into the fridge. No longer has the appetite.

Something is wrong and Xion lied to him. He knew it. She is hiding something from him and he will find out what. He has to find out, because whatever is depressing her made her cried. When he bended down to look at her face, he saw her eyes were bloodshot and wet. And he hates to see his only sister cried. It made him felt guilty for not protecting his sister like a brother should. He wanted to ask her what's wrong, but Xion need some alone time now. He'll ask her later, or maybe tomorrow.

'I'm sorry, Xion. For not protecting you.' Axel apologized and entered his own room.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Xion threw her bag onto the ground and flung herself onto her bed. She pulled the pillow into her arms and hugged it tightly. Dug her face into the pillow, she let tears to escape again. It hurts. Everything that Flippe told her and the kissing scene of Roxas and Natalie, they haunted her mind. Could Roxas really be faking about being her best friend? Did he really change? Is everything real or fake?

Just then, her cell phone rang. She didn't feel like picking it up. Whoever is calling her, she didn't want to speak to them. The ringing stopped then came again. Chobi flew from its opened cage and landed right next to Xion's bag. It pulled open the zipper and wriggled into the bag. A moment later, Chobi exited the school bag with the strings of the phone's accessory held tightly in its beak and pulled Xion's vibrating cell phone out of her bag. With all its might, Chobi flapped its wings and lifted the cell phone off the floor and flew towards its master. It landed beside Xion then released the strings from its beak. "Kweh~ Kweh~" Chobi chirped to get her attention.

Xion turned to face Chobi and stroked its head gently. "Thank you, Chobi. You can go have a fly in town now. Just be careful and remember to come home."

"Kweh~" Chobi chirped, seems to understand her words then flew out of the open window.

Xion looked at her still ringing cell phone. With a sigh, she picked it up and answered without looking at the ID on the screen. "Hello? Xion Zayas speaking." Xion tried to speak as normal as she can.

"Xion? Is that you?" A familiar voice asked from the other side of the line.

"Yes. It's me, Roxas." Xion replied softly. She really doesn't want to speak to him, but since that she had answered the phone, there's no going back.

"*Sigh* That's great. You're alright. Where are you Xion? You weren't in the Art class, and by the lockers. I was worried." Roxas asked.

_Really, Roxas? You're worry about me? Or something else?_ "Ah. I'm sorry, Roxas. After the extra art class, I didn't feel so good, so I went home already. Sorry for not telling you." Xion lied. But it isn't truly a lie, half of it was true.

"You're okay, Xion?"

"Yes. I'm feeling much better. I just need to take some rest," Xion replied, hoping that Roxas would just bid farewell and end the conversation.

"That's good. So that means you won't be coming to my house to practice then."

"Yes." Xion said.

"How about the 'apologize to Axel' plan? Why don't I come over and we apologize to him together?" Roxas suggested.

"No!" Xion covered her mouth and changed her voice to a softer tone, then continued. "I mean. No need. I'll just apologize to him myself. I'll tell him that you're sorry too."

"Are you sure? Are you really okay, Xion?" Roxas asked worriedly.

_No… I'm not…_ "Yes. I am, Roxas. I just need to rest." The ravenette lied once more.

"Okay then. Take a good rest. Wouldn't want you to be a zombie tomorrow. Hahaha. See you tomorrow then," Roxas said.

_Wait... No... No. Don't hang up yet. I want to ask you something. Many things. About Rasp, Kellett… You… Are you still my friend? My best friend? Roxas… Do you still care about me?_ "Ya. See you. Bye…" With that, Xion heard Roxas hang up. Despite how much she wanted the conversation to end, Xion was surprised that she actually didn't want it to end. So many questions to ask him, so many things she wanted to know. And that smoothing voice of his that seems to put a spell on her, made her wanted to hear his voice time and time again. There is always a part of him in her mind.

Xion turned to lie on her back and stared up to the ceiling. Everything is so messed up. All the questions are so confusing… All the things Flippe told her, some of it actually made sense… It would explain why Roxas didn't react when Natalie brushed his cheek with her hand last time. And it also explained why he seriously asked her what did both Natalie and Flippe told her last time during lunch. Maybe he scared that they would tell her everything. But… Is what she thinks real, or it is all just a coincidence?

Xion let out a sigh and murmured, "What is going on…?"

* * *

**That's all for this chap! What is Roxas doing? ! Why is he kissing that Yellow-Eyed Witch? ! What in the world is going on? ! All of the answers would be revealed in the next chap, which we can see the situation from Roxas's view. **

**Does anyone still remember Chobi from the first chap? I wish I have a bird like that.  
**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)**

**Natalie Rasp (aka The Yellow-Eyed Witch)**

**Axel Zayas  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya all in the next chap!  
**


	9. Never Make A Deal With A Witch

**I'M STILL A HORRIBLE PERSON! DX I'M SO SORRY! SORRY! I don't even have any excuses for not updating for three weeks! I'm a LAZY pig! DX  
**

**So sorry for this late update, but I will write a Halloween fanfic for making this up. It would be kinda like a companion to my other fic: Just One More Time. The story would be called as 'Sweet, Sweet Halloween'. It would be my first Halloween fanfic, so I have no idea would it be good or not...  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, emmausgirl94, NoOneXIII and Starowner for reviewing this story. Especially NoOneXIII, Starowner, Takamira, emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome and NighfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter! Thx you guys so MUCH! HEARTS HEARTS HEARTS!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, NoOneXIII, amazoness23 and KHlover34 for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner and KHlover34 for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested to be THE AWESOME PEOPLE like them? And get cookies?  
**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Awesome! XD  
**

**I hope you all will enjoy this chap. And I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story. Enjoy! :D**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 9: Never Make A Deal With A Witch

Roxas jotted down the information from the whiteboard onto his notebook as their Business Studies teacher, Mr. Luxord, is explaining financial information and decision making to them while double underline the important points.

The blond teen just finished drawing an example of a balance sheet and turned to look at his best friend, who lifted her head up and looked at the yellow clock in front of the class. He saw her scowled then looked back down to continue writing notes into her notebook. Xion has been doing that same action since their first period until now. Is she so worried about what she said to Axel that morning that she wanted the school to end so she can apologize to him? Maybe.

Soon, the bell rang. Roxas exited the class with his friends and all of them walked to their lockers to drop off their books and get ready for the next class, which is English Language. Xion was scowling the whole way to their lockers. Roxas looked at his friend. He's curious about her actions, but he stayed quiet.

When Xion groaned and placed her forehead onto her closed locker, Roxas finally asked. "Hey, Xion. Are you okay?"

"Ya… Just a bit stress from all those business facts from Mr. Luxord. Maybe you can give me a lesson on Business someday. Tee-hee," Xion giggled and stood back up straight. She turned to Roxas and said, "Roxas. Um… You see, Ms. Roullett told me to meet her in the Art room after school so she could help me to finish one of my works. So… Um… Do you mind waiting for me for like 15 minutes before we go apologize to Axel together, or I'll go meet you in your house then we go together?"

Suddenly, Roxas remember about meeting Natalie after school. This could be his chance to meet her. All he needs is a lie to tell Xion, but he hates it when he had to lie to her. "Oh. It's fine. My sword fighting class coach would also like me to meet him after school so he could teach me a few new techniques that would help me in the sword fighting competition. It would also take about 15 minutes or so. So I don't have to wait." Roxas gave his best friend a smile, hoping she would believe him.

Xion grinned and said, "So we meet each other here after that 15 minutes?"

Roxas grinned back and nodded. "Sure." It seems like Xion believed his lie.

Xion kept on grinning and said, "We better get going. Mr. Xigbar won't be happy if we're late for English class again."

Roxas gave her a soft smile and said, "Of course. Mr. Gun-Obsesser would probably shoot us with his gun collection, which he told us in every single class for 20 minutes, if we're late for the 3rd time of the week."

"If he's going to shoot us, he better has a big fat wallet in his pocket ready to pay for all of our medical bills," Xion said as they walked side by side. "And come on. So what we came to the class late? Like you said, he used the first 20 minutes blabbering about his collection. The class wasn't officially started yet."

Roxas couldn't help but chuckled. What Xion said does make sense. What a waste of 20 minutes listening to Mr. Xigbar's blabbering when he can spend more talking time with Xion. "Come on. We might be able to catch up with the others if we're fast enough." He softly grabbed her by the wrist and together, they trotted to where their English Language class is and might meet up with the others.

Roxas felt heat creep up to his cheek. It always happens when he made skin-to-skin contact with Xion. He doesn't know why it happened. It just happened. Last time when he held Xion's hand while they're running away from Natalie and Flippe in the hallway, the same thing happened. He was glad Xion didn't notice it. It would be embarrassing…

Xion's wrist was thin, and fitted perfectly in his hand. Her skin was warm, soft and smooth. So… Prefect… He suddenly felt that a hand like his shouldn't touch such prefect skin that belongs to an angel. These rough hands…

Suddenly, Roxas felt Xion slid her hand down so he was holding her hand instead of her wrist. He looked back a little to give her a smile but quickly turned his head back when the blush he has reddened even more when Xion held his hand tighter.

For the rest of the trip, Roxas has a huge smile on his face.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"I'll see you later, okay?"

Xion nodded her head. "Yup. Have fun practicing."

Roxas gave her a smile and a nod then turned to walk towards the hallway which leads to the sword fighting hall/class. After he walked around a corner, he peeked back to make sure Xion was no longer in his sight. Xion stood at where she was just now, her face faced down as she scratched the back of her head. Then, she turned and walked away.

When she's gone, Roxas changed his direction and walked towards the hallway where Natalie would be waiting for him. 'Xion has been acting kinda strange since this morning… I wonder why…' The blond teen thought to himself. The number of students was slowly decreasing as the clock ticked by. Soon, he found himself in an empty hallway with the soft 'tap tap tap' from his shoes.

Natalie had told him to meet her by her locker during lunchtime when he was waiting in line to buy his lunch. His parent wasn't home again, so he decided to buy his lunch instead of making them for that day. But luckily, Xion's mother gave him one of her famous chicken sandwiches. So he saved his food money, he just needs to buy his drink. Lucky him, the school just happened to sell one of his favorite soups. His lunch for the day is awesome. Xion walked away to get a free table, that's when Natalie came to him.

"_Hi Roxy~ Miss me?" Natalie asked sweetly._

"_Nop." Roxas said in a monotone voice. He didn't even bother to look at her._

"_Aw~ Is that your way to say 'Yes'? Hmm Roxy?" Natalie asked and clung to his arms._

"_No. When I said 'nop', I really mean 'nop'. Now, get your hands off me." Roxas hissed and managed to pry her hands off him._

"_Aw~ Roxy meany!"_

"_How many times should I tell you don't call me that? !" Roxas groaned in anger. 'And why is the line not moving? !' _

_Natalie faked a cute pout. "After you gave me one thing that I want, I'll stop calling you 'Roxy', Roxy. Isn't that what we agreed on last time?_

_Roxas sighed. "Yes. That's what we agreed on, but will you keep your word? Or just break it like what you usually do?"_

_Natalie crossed her arms on her chest and said, "I never break my promises!"_

"_Oh ya? Well, I don't believe you. If you try to do anything funny," Roxas cracked his knuckles loudly and saw the shock on Natalie's face. He continued, "I won't go soft on you."_

_The shock on Natalie's face quickly took over by her usual 'evil eyes with a wide smirk' face as she said, "I don't think you dare to hit me." _

_Roxas smirked back. "Then watch me."_

_Natalie simply shrugged her shoulder with a 'hmph'. "Meet me after school, by my locker. I believe you know the consequence if you didn't show up." Natalie told him as she's inspecting her manicured long nails that in Roxas's mind, looks like claws that belong to a savage beast. _

"_Ya. Sure. Whatever."_

_Natalie smirked on and gave him a sweet-toned farewell, "See you later then, Roxy. Ta-taa~" With that, she walked away and soon disappeared into the crowds. Right after she disappeared, the line started walking and soon, he bought his soup and walked to the empty table where Xion is waiting for him. _

_Roxas thinks that somehow, Natalie has something to do with the unmoving line…_

The blonde teenage boy sighed as he turned around a corner and finally reached Natalie's locker, which is empty. Then, he started to get panic. Is he late? Did Natalie order her 'mad dogs' to go hurt Xion? Is this meeting her after school a trick, so she can go hurt Xion without him by her side? 'No! I won't let that happen!'

He turned and was about to run to the Art room when he suddenly came face to face with none other but Natalie Rasp herself. He gasped in surprise and back off a few steps. He sighed in relief when he realized it was just her. "Oh. It's just you. Are you a ghost or something? You walk without making any noise."

Natalie pasted her sweet smile on her face and shook her head. "Nop. I'm just as graceful as the cat."

'Ya, a black cat that is…' Roxas thought.

"Let's just get this over with. What is it that you want?" Roxas asked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Natalie placed a finger on her chin and acted like she's thinking deeply, "Hmm… I'm not sure. Let me think about it for awhile."

"What? You didn't even make up your mind in those past two weeks? I thought that you already made up your mind, that's why you called me to meet you today."

"Well, my mind is busy with other thoughts. Do you know how hard it is to be so popular in school? I have to sign autographs, visit my fan clubs, hanging out with my fans. It's a very tiring job. Do you know that, Roxy? You are one of the school's bishies **[1]**. I bet you can understand how hard it is for a weak girl like me." Natalie said and placed one of her hands on her chest while the back of her other hand was placed on her forehead, acting like she's a really defenseless damsel-in-distress.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Whatever… Stop wasting my time. What do you want from me?"

Natalie put down her hands and pouted. She shifted her eyes slightly to look to the hallway at the back of Roxas. 'Where is _he_? ! It seems like I need to prolong the conversation.' Natalie thought and looked back to Roxas, who didn't notice she looked away just now.

"Hmm… How about you join me and my group, Roxy?" Natalie asked him.

"W-What?"

"You heard me, Roxy. Quit that pathetic excuse of a group you're in and join mine. So we can spend more time together, and you're going to be even more popular like me. Then you can get anything you want! Money, stuffs, order people to do your homework for you. Anything! Those fans would do everything to get the permission to touch you once, and more for a long eye contact or a short conversation! We'll have a lot of great time together! Join me, Roxy! You'll experience the most awesome thing ever!" Natalie said cheerfully and held out her hand, waiting for Roxas to accept it.

'Spend more time with you? These few minutes with you is already way enough!' Roxas blinked thrice and shook his head quickly. "No way. No way, I'm going to join that group of yours. No. No way! No way!"

"B-But Roxy~ That's the only way we can spend more time together. And what's so good about that group you're in now? They are all pathetic and unpopular! Sora Hiranaga and Riku Fukuda might also be considered as the school's bishies, but they are still pathetic! One is a total nut case, and another one is just a guy who seems like he killed someone with that black sword of his before and that's why his sword fighting is so good. Kairi Minami and Namine Kaneko are just another two annoying, blabbering nonsense girls with a horrible taste in fashion. And Xion Zayas? She's just a witch that doesn't even deserve to live! God. I wish someone would just push her off that cliff."

That's when Roxas lose it. No one talked about his friends like that! Especially not by her! "Shut up, Rasp! Don't think because you're popular and all so you can walk around hurting people with that wicked tongue of yours! First of all, they are my friends! There is no way in hell I would leave them! Second, Sora is not a nut case, Riku is not a killer, Kairi and Namine are not annoying and they wear more decent clothes, unlike you. And Xion is not a witch just because she lives on a cliff! She deserves to live, unlike you! You should be the one that fell off that cliff and disappeared from the surface of the world!"

Natalie gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. He insulted her! No one insults her! And the friendship bonds between him and his friends are stronger than she thought. She got to do something to break them if she wants him to be by her side forever, or everything she planned would be ruined! She knows there must be a way to turn Roxas's heart to the other side, her.

"Don't you dare insults me! If you do," Natalie stopped and fished her cell phone out from her pocket. She continued, "I would call my gang and beat up that Zayas Witch right now!"

Roxas flinched and let out a low groan. Darn it. She knew one of his weaknesses. "Fine… I won't insult you again." _But that doesn't mean I won't insult you when you're not with me._

Natalie smiled and asked, "So, Roxy? Join me?"

"No. My answer would still be a no. I would do anything else, except leave my friends and join you."

Natalie pouted. "But Roxy, I-" Suddenly something behind Roxas caught her eyes. Not far from them, at the corner of the hallway, is her trusty partner in crime, Flippe Kellett. The brunette gave her a smirk and a small thumb up. After Natalie gave him a small smirk back, Flippe disappeared back into the other hallway.

'It's show time!' Natalie said in her mind and looked back to Roxas. She gave him a smile then said, "Roxy~ I think I know what I want from you now."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "It's about time. So what is it?"

"Come closer then I'll tell you." Natalie said as she beckoned him to bend down closer to her.

Roxas, who wanted all this to end quickly so he can leave, didn't know that all of this was part of a witch's awful plan. Without a second thought, he bent forwards the blonde girl.

The next thing he knows, Natalie's lips crashed onto his. 'W-WHAT THE HELL? !' Natalie then circled her arms around his neck tightly, pressing her lips closer to Roxas's. Everything happened so quickly Roxas didn't know what to do; every inch of his body was paralyzed with shock.

'Rasp is kissing me… Rasp is kissing me. Oh Dear God! RASP IS KISSING ME!' Broke free from the shock, Roxas quickly placed his hands on Natalie's shoulders and tried to push her away from his. However, Natalie's arms circled around his neck even tighter and pulled him even closer to her. Soon, he felt his abdomen touched hers. 'Why is she so strong all of a sudden? !'

Roxas tried to push her away again, but she just wouldn't budge. Her lips were glued onto his and her moans disgusted him, just like her strong, thick perfume. 'Oh God! Stop!'

The forced kiss doesn't even break once in those five torturing minutes **(A.N. Yes! THAT long!)**. He needs this blasted kiss to end, he needs air, he needs ten packets of wet tissues to wipe his lips clean, and most importantly, he needs to get away from the Yellow-Eyed Witch!

Finally, Natalie's arms that are around his neck loosened and he was able to push her away him. Roxas staggered a few steps back while wiping his lips with the back of his hand furiously. "What in Kingdom Hearts you do that for, Rasp? !"

Natalie formed a satisfied grin on her pretty face and answered, "That's what I want from you, sweetie. A kiss. A sweet, long kiss."

"What? ! You should have told me that and wait for my answer!" Roxas snapped at her. 'And that kiss is _not_ sweetat all!'

The blonde girl placed her hands on her waist and said, "You're just going to say 'no' again! That's why I didn't tell you."

"Yes. That is totally true, but forcing me to kiss you is not part of our deal! And why do you call me 'sweetie' just now? I told you not to call me those! That's the point of the deal!" Roxas questioned and gave his lips another wipe.

Natalie shook her head slowly while moved her index finger left to right and said, "Tck tck tck. The point of the deal is that I would stop calling you 'Roxy', after you gave me one thing that I want. It doesn't say that I can't call you anything else, does it? That means I can call you: sweetie, love, Rox, Roxy-bear, Roxy-poo, etc. Just not the word 'Roxy'. Got it, darling?"

"No no no. We made the deal that you would stop calling all those names, including 'Roxy'. You promised. I know you would break it."

"I didn't break the deal, baby. When I asked you, 'You don't like me calling you Roxy?'. You nodded. You mean 'yes'. That's what you mean, Roxy-bear. You didn't say I can't call you other names." Natalie reminded him.

"I did?" Roxas asked. Did he really just do that? Nod his head?

Natalie nodded. "Think back to that time, Roxas. That is all you did."

Roxas scratched the back of his head and tried to think back to two weeks ago, when they made the deal. Then, the flashback came back to him.

"_Roxy~ You were kidding right? When you said you won't do anything that is related to me. You're kidding right?" Natalie asked with the sweetest voice she can make. _

"_No, I'm not. Rasp," Roxas turned and looked at her. "I really don't like you. Especially the way you treated everyone, and most importantly, my best friend, Xion. So, can you just please stop calling me that name and treat me like how you treat everyone else? I prefer it that way." _

_Natalie pouted and asked, "You don't like me calling you Roxy?"_

_Roxas nodded._

"_Well… If you can give me one thing, I might stop calling you Roxy, Roxy." Natalie smiled sweetly._

"_And what do you want?" Roxas asked with an eyebrow raised._

And that's how the deal was made between them.

"Oh god… I should be more specific…" Roxas murmured as he hung his head and shook it slowly.

"Remember now, Roxy?" Natalie questioned as she took a step forward.

Roxas looked up and gave her a glare. "Why do you call me that? You promised not to call me that!"

Natalie smirked and informed him, "When we are making the deal, I said 'might', right? So, I'll still call you 'Roxy' sometimes. Just not so much."

"This isn't what I wanted. I want you to stop calling me all those annoying names and leave me alone. Why can't you just do those?" Roxas groaned in annoyance. 'And I've been force kissed by you for nothing!'

Natalie kept on smirking and gave Roxas's face a soft stroke. This time, Roxas pulled away. "Next time, dear. You should be more specific. See you tomorrow, honey. Ta-taa~" She bid him farewell and walked away.

When her footsteps were out of earshot, Roxas punched Natalie's locker in anger, causing a loud metallic 'Bang' throughout the whole hallway. Then, he leaned against the locker and slowly slid down onto the floor. Nothing changed. Natalie would continue calling him all those annoying names and he lost his first kiss. Out of every girl in school, he lost it to _her_. He wasn't like girls, very protective about their first kiss. But he never ever thought that he would lose it to _her_! Losing it to Xion would be 100 times better than to her. Wait. Did he just wish that Xion is his first kiss? What's wrong with him? He started to get confuse.

"Argh… Damn you, Rasp…" Roxas cursed and hugged his head. "Note to self: Never make a deal with a witch."

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Roxas walked down the hallway and towards his locker in sheer silence. Everything that happened just now kept on repeating in his head. What bothers him the most is the kiss. That blasted force kiss! Natalie is really a witch, tricked him into that kiss and made loopholes in the deal, so she can break it.

He sighed deeply and thought positively, 'Having ice cream with Axel and Xion on the clock tower later would help me forget about this…'

Roxas had passed by the Art room just now and saw it was empty, so he presumed that the extra class Xion has with her Art teacher is over and she might be waiting for him at their locker. But he was wrong. No one was in front of their lockers. In fact, the whole hallway was empty.

'Could she be outside?' Roxas thought and walked out of the front door and out to the school's gate entrance. It was empty too, except for a school gardener sweeping the fallen leaves from the trees with a broom and turned all of them into a brown leafy pyramid.

'Maybe he has seen her.' Roxas walked towards the gardener and asked, "Excuse me, sir. But have you seen a short black-haired girl, around my height, exited the school's front door?"

The elderly man (around the age of mid-70) stopped what he's doing and gave him greyish beard a few strokes before answering him, "Ah yes. I have seen her. She ran out of school just about 7 to 8 minutes ago. Sad looking she was, hanging her head low as she ran."

Xion ran out? Sad looking? Could it really be her? "A-Are you sure she's the one I'm looking for?"

The man stroked his beard again and thought deeply. Then he spoke, "Is the bag the girl you're looking for is a white messenger bag with the picture of a pink and blue seashell on it?"

Roxas nodded. "Yes." Xion sewed those seashells picture onto the bag herself. "Customized items are special," she told him once.

"Then that's the girl." The elderly man then scanned Roxas up and down, and then gave him a small glare and tighten the grip on the broom "Did you broke her heart and now is trying to find her so you can apologize and get her back? Teenager nowadays should be ashamed for breaking other people's heart so easily! "

Roxas flinched and said, "W-What? No! No! I didn't break her heart or anything like that! We're best friends. She told me to meet her at her locker, but she wasn't there. So I'm curious and worry of her. I didn't break her heart!" As if on instinct, he covered his head with his hands and took a step back. He didn't want the gardener to misunderstand him and beat him repeatedly on the head with his broom like what he saw on television when old people are scolding younger people while beating them with their walking stick. It would be painful!

The man raised one of his eyebrows and asked, "You didn't?"

Roxas shook his head quickly, still clutching his head protectively.

The man smiled then laughed softly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I have seen a lot of breakup scenes in this previous 15 years working here. Somehow, almost all of the breakups occurred in front of the front door. I have seen a lot of girls cried when the guys dumped them and they would run out crying. I have seen guys depressed too after their girls dumped them. Seldom couples broke up without shedding tears. Those couples are lucky that they don't need to hold on the guilt as they know their relationship isn't going to work out and end it cleanly. Just recently, about a week ago, I saw a breakup. I believe you know Flippe Kellett. He sure is a heartbreaker. Never in my life saw anyone else dump his girlfriends every week except him. He should be ashamed for his actions."

Roxas had lowered his hands when he heard the old gardener laughed. "Yes, I know him. Everyone in school knows him, in fact. Does what you said explain why you looked like you're going to beat the hell out of me with your broom just now?"

The man chuckled and gave him a nod, "It kinda does. I have always wanted to teach that boy a lesson for breaking all those hearts. I just happened to swear to teach the next person I saw who broke someone's heart a lesson, then I saw that black-haired girl ran out from the door and out the gate. I thought it was that Kellett boy doing again. But then you showed up. And thank god you explained quickly, or you'll be having bumps on your head by now. Hahaha…"

"Hahaha… Ya. Thank god…" Roxas said as he gave his head a few strokes.

"Tell me, does that friend of yours dates that Kellett boy?" The gardener asked.

Roxas shook his head. "No. In fact, she hates him. There's no way she would date him."

The man stroked his beard again. "Then… I wonder why she looked like that…"

"Looked like what?" The blonde asked.

"Heartbroken."

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"Heartbroken…" Roxas murmured the word as he walked home. Now, it was the gardener's words that are kept on repeating in his head. It made him very curious and worried about Xion even more, but at least the whole Natalie event is forgotten. Oh damn. He just remembered it. "Darn you, Rasp…"

Roxas signed. "I should call Xion. She'll tell me why." The blonde took out his cell phone and pressed on Xion's speed dial. He held his phone next to his ear and wait for Xion to answer. The beeping rang for a long time, but no one answered it. Soon, the beeping stopped and his cell phone asked would he like to call again. He pressed 'Yes' and held the phone back to his ear.

"Come on Xion… Pick up…" Roxas murmured as he listened to the long beeping. He was about to click 'end call' and call again when someone answered the phone at the other side.

"Hello? Xion Zayas speaking." A familiar voice said.

"Xion? Is that you?" Roxas asked.

"Yes. It's me, Roxas." Xion replied softly.

Roxas grinned and sighed in relief. At least he knows she's alright. "That's great. You're alright. Where are you Xion? You weren't in the Art class, and by the lockers. I was worried." _Really worried. Especially after what the gardener told me._

"Ah. I'm sorry, Roxas. After the extra art class, I didn't feel so good, so I went home already. Sorry for not telling you." Xion told him.

"You're okay, Xion?" Roxas asked. Something about Xion's tone doesn't sound right. After all this year together, he can detect the difference.

"Yes. I'm feeling much better. I just need to take some rest," Xion replied.

Roxas wanted to ask her why she ran out of the school and why does she looked heartbroken, like what the gardener told him. But he didn't want to urge her to tell him when she didn't want to. "That's good. So that means you won't be coming to my house to practice then."

"Yes." Xion said.

"How about the 'apologize to Axel' plan? Why don't I come over and we apologize to him together?" Roxas suggested. _Then I can see you too. And maybe having ice cream together would make you feel better._ Roxas wanted to say those, but they didn't come out of his mouth.

"No!" Xion exclaimed loudly, which shocked him. Did she just… Yelled? There was a short pause before Xion replied in a softer tone, "I mean. No need. I'll just apologize to him myself. I'll tell him that you're sorry too."

"Are you sure? Are you really okay, Xion?" Roxas asked worriedly. Something is not right…

"Yes. I am, Roxas. Just need to rest." The ravenette told her friend.

"Okay then. Take a good rest. Wouldn't want you to be a zombie tomorrow. Hahaha. See you tomorrow then," Roxas said.

"Ya. See you. Bye…" Xion said.

Roxas hesitated, then clicked the 'end call' button. He slid his phone back into his bag and continued walking in silence. Something's wrong, not only from what the gardener had told him, but also from Xion's tone. He felt it, something's wrong but he has no idea what it is. Today is really not his day. First, Natalie, and now, something is bothering Xion and she didn't even want to tell him what.

Roxas looked up to the sky and murmured, "What is going on…?"

* * *

**[1] Bishies: It means 'pretty boys' in Japanese. Seriously, almost all of the main male teenage characters (include Axel), are bishies!  
**

**That's all for this chap! Man! I wanted to kill Natalie so much when I'm typing this! Anyone else who has the same thought? Next chapter would be a little... Um... Boring. Mostly are about them thinking. I'll try my best to update quickly, or I'll so totally die from guilt and laziness.  
**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

******Roxas Hikari**

**Xion Zayas**

**Natalie Rasp (aka The Yellow-Eyed Witch)**

******Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya all in the next chap!**


	10. Acting Normal is Not Normal

**I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON 3 TIMES IN A ROLL! I'M SO AWFUL! A MONTH WITHOUT ANY UPDATES NOR NEW STORIES! DX I'M SO SORRY! SORRY!  
**

**So sorry for this late update, I was busying finding a college and drawing portfolio. And I also need to attend a wedding soon too! :D Anyway, I should start.  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, emmausgirl94, NoOneXIII, Starowner, TheEspadaSisters, amazoness23, KC-Chan13 and khdayskh1314 for reviewing this story. Especially TheEspadaSisters, amazoness23, emmausgirl94, Takamira, NightfallSky, KC-Chan13, and khdayskh1314 for reviewing the previous chapter! Thx you guys so MUCH! HEARTS HEARTS HEARTS! AND SEA-SALT!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, NoOneXIII, amazoness23, KHlover34, KC-Chan13, TheUnwelcomedSavior, and khdayskh1314 for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner and khdayskh1314 for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested to be THE AWESOME PEOPLE like them? And get... Paupo Fruit cookies? !  
**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Rock on dudes and dudettes! (Is there such word? 0.o)  
**

**I hope you all will enjoy this chap. And I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story and like I said last chap, this chap might be boring... Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 10: Acting Normal is Not Normal

Friday. Xion's favorite day of the week, but she's not happy at all. She had suffered a serious headache yesterday until now, drilling holes in her head. At least the headache medicine she took last night showed some effect. Her eyes are also red and a bit puffy, but they are not really noticeable unless someone pays very close attention to it.

'What am I going to do?' Xion thought as she dressed and combed her messy hair. 'Roxas would definitely ask me 'how are you feeling' and 'what happened yesterday' questions. Should I continue lying to him? No… I can't tell him the truth yet. But… I want to know is what Flippe said is true or not. But I'm scared if it is true. I really don't want our friendship to end. We promised to be BFF.'

Xion placed the comb down and gave her fringe a stroke. 'We did make that promise. Would Roxas break it? He isn't the type of person who would break promises, but would he break this promise? I'm confused…' Just then, the headache came back. The ravenette groaned and sat down on her bed, massaging her temples to lessen the pain.

"I think… I would just act normal, like nothing had ever happened and spend the rest of the days like the usual time. That might be the best. We still got to hang out together, and I might be able to forget all of this slowly. Ya… I'll stick with this plan." Xion said while continue massaging her temples in a circular motion.

_If you're acting normal, that means you're not normal thus equal you're hiding something from everybody. _A small voice said from the back of her mind.

"Oh~ Like there is any better way." She chuckled lightly when she realized she's actually talking with her mind/conscience, which also means she's talking with herself.

_There might be. Why don't you just ask Roxas? Get the truth and settled all these problems._

"I don't want to ask him yet. I'm not… ready…"

_Ready for what? Learn the truth?_

"…" Xion stayed quiet.

_I knew it. You scared the truth would hurt. But how do you know it would really hurt? Maybe everything is not as bad as it seems._

"Yes… I'm scared Roxas really don't want to be my friend anymore, so he can be with that _witch_! What Kellett said might be all lies, but I don't want to risk the strong friendship between me and Roxas to find out about it. Some of the things he said made sense, there's a chance that what he said is true. And everything would be as bad as I thought."

_Stop thinking like that! You actually wanted to believe what that Devil told you? He's the witch's right-hand man! They might be behind all of this!_

"That might be true… But-"

_No more buts! Ask Roxas and find out the truth! Hear his side of the story!_

"What if he lied? If what Kellett said is true, he would lie to me until… I'm useless…"

_Roxas has been your best friend for more than 10 years! Do you think he would lie to you?_

"He might…"

_You don't trust him anymore?_

"I still trust him. But…"

_But what?_

"I-I don't know… He might already change a little. Just like-"

_You really believe what that Devil told you? ! _

"I-"

_No more excuses! Ask Roxas about yesterday's event! Get the truth!_

"No… I don't want to know yet…"

_The truth will reveal someday anyway! Why don't you just get it today?_

"I don't…"

_Get the truth!_

"I-"

_GET THE TRUTH!_

"That's it! Stop it! Stop talking! I don't want to know the truth yet! I won't ask him! Why won't you just shut up and let me make my own choice? !" Xion shouted in frustration. This time, the voice at the back of her mind stayed silence.

Xion got up from her bed, picked up her bag and said, "If acting normal means Roxas got to stay by my side longer, I'll do it." With that, Xion walked out of her room and went downstairs.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Somewhere in town, a blonde teen walked out of his bathroom and into his bedroom in nothing but his school's pants while drying his hair with a white towel. He gave his hair a last wipe and stopped in front of the mirror he hangs on the wall.

He let the towel placed around his shoulders as he looked at his reflection. His usual hair spikes are down due to been wet. His lips are red due to over-scrubbing yesterday and there are little dark circles under his eyes due to the sleepless night.

He gave the dark circle under his right eye a few poke then sighed. "Didn't expect them to show up… Gotta get ready for school."

The blonde turned away from the mirror and wore a white button-down shirt which he placed on his bed a moment before. Fixed his tie and hair, he scooted his bag from the floor and gave one last look at himself. Everything's look normal, and if his friends do ask him about the dark circles, he has tons of good excuses to use.

"Okay… Now, breakfast." Roxas said to himself and exited his room. He entered the kitchen and made himself a toast. His parent left to work really early in the morning, leaving him nothing but a note, like the usual. They wrote they love him in the note, but why didn't they show him more of their love? He felt more love from his friends than from them. Heck, he even felt more love from Xion and Axel's parent!

Roxas picked up the note from the dining table, crumpled it up and threw it into the trash bin. There's no use reading it, it was always saying the same thing. He made his way to the fridge and took out the butter and cream. Then he opened a cabinet and took out a packet of coffee powder and jar of sugar. It would help him to regain some strength.

Quickly made himself a simple breakfast (plain toast with butter and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar added), he sat down at the dining table and started munching on the toast. Roxas groaned slightly when he thought of school, Xion and Natalie. What is he supposed to do? Natalie will continue calling him all those icky, sweet words that he only wants his girlfriend (when he has one) to call him. Xion, one of his best friends, is hiding something from him. And school is where all these problems happened. Why high school has to be a living hell?

"What should I do…?" Roxas muttered. To think about it again, Natalie has always called him those names. Since she's going to continue calling him those, there doesn't seem to be any changes (except more names), it would be just like usual. No one would suspect a things right? "It's just like the usual. All I need to do is to continue ignore and avoid her like always. Then everything is normal. Ya. It's that easy." Roxas made a small smile and took a sip from his cup. The kissing incident would just be between them. Is not like she can show everyone that they kissed. So that's the only thing he needs to hide from his friends.

How about Xion then? She has been acting strange yesterday. Ran out of school looking heartbroken, told Roxas she's not feeling well on the phone, and sounds very different. Even if she's sick, she still has that energetic tone in her voice when they're chatting on the phone before. The tone he heard yesterday is different… She must be hiding something from him. "But what?"

He's curious. Really curious. Xion has never hidden things from him before. Ever since they're little, they shared everything with each other. Whenever they felt sad, happy or mad, they'll tell each other what's the problem, and they would cheer each other up with ice cream.

What is she hiding? Should he force her to tell him in order to get to the bottom of it? Wait, that would be wrong. Xion would eventually tell him what's the problem right? Or maybe that is one of the secrets she hides away from him. Everyone has their own secrets. Like him and that kiss with Natalie. That would be a secret he would never tell his friend, or maybe he will when he can't hold it inside him anymore. "So I guess I would just wait until Xion wants to tell me then. I guess I don't have to worry about it for now." Roxas said to himself as he cleaned the cup and put everything back to the place they belong. In the end, what should he do from this day forwards?

He exited his house, locked the door twice and threw the key into his bag. He turned and took a deep breath. "Act normal. Ya. I can do that." Without another word, he started to walk towards Xion's house.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Xion was sitting on her usual seat and eating her cereal silently when Axel walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. This time, thank god, with a T-shirt on. He yawned then noticed his sister, immediately remembered what happened yesterday. She cried yesterday and also last night. She must have tried very hard to make her sobbing as quiet as possible, but she failed because he heard it.

'Should I ask her now?' Axel asked himself as he walked towards the dining table. "Yo, sis! Man, you're such a slowpoke, eating your cereal so slowly. Even turtles eat faster than you!" He teased and ruffled her hair.

"Oh. Hi Axel…" Xion answered silently. Axel gasped and raised a hand up to his mouth, then continued, "Oh my beloved lighters! Who are you and what have you done to my Slowpoke sister? !" Axel then flicked Xion's forehead painfully.

"OW! Axel! What the hell is that for? !" Xion shouted then covered her forehead. Man, that hurts! "You are so gonna pay for my ice cream today!"

Axel snickered then ruffled Xion's already-messy hair. "That's the Slowpoke Xion I know. What happened to you? Can a surprised quiz be that bad?"

Xion flinched and lowered her hands, hanging her head low. "Y-Ya…"

Axel sat in front of her across the table and placed his hands on the table. He asked again, "Really? What quiz is it anyway?"

"Bi-Biology…" Xion answered and groaned. Biology was the first subject she can think of, but the first two letters of that word can form a word which would describe that Yellow-eyed Witch very well.

Axel blinked twice then raised an eyebrow. He doesn't believe her. Firstly, Biology is one of Xion's strength. Secondly, she would not cry for so long over some quiz. And finally, she shuttered. She only shuttered when she was caught in surprise and didn't know what to say. 'So she wants to continue hiding it huh? I'll play along with her 'game', until I find out the real reason behind all this.' Axel thought then said, "I thought Biology is one of your best subjects. What questions you didn't know how to answer?"

Xion quickly lifted up her head and looked at her brother in shock. "W-What?"

'I knew it! She is hiding something.' Axel thought then repeated, "I said: What questions you didn't know how to answer?"

'Oh god! What should I say? !' Xion panicked in her mind then tried to find an answer. "U-Um… The question I don't know how to answer is… Um…" Xion looked around the kitchen, hoping to get something from anything. She looked back at her brother then noticed his red hair. That's it! "Gene!" She exclaimed.

"W-What?" Axel asked.

"Genes! The question is about genes! Ya! Genes!" Xion continued to say.

"Genes? That's all? What's so hard about it?"

"That question is hard. Really hard. I need to um… Need to find the… The… The dihybrid ratio of the grandchildren of a… A male dog with long black fur and a female dog with long white fur, whose son has long grey fur and mated with a dog with short brown fur. Ya! That's the question!" Xion told him. **(A.N. I have seen a question similar to this. And it's very hard for me…)**

Axel blinked twice as he listened to the question. Damn. That question is hard. What she said does sounds convincing, but he knows that she's still lying to him. "That's not a quiz's question. That's an exam's question! Wow. It's so damn hard! No wonder you're so depressed."

"Y-Ya…" Xion muttered and drank all the milk from her bowl.

Axel grinned as he poured his own favorite cereal into a red bowl. He poured milk into it and teased Xion, "You are so gonna fail that quiz. I bet you didn't answer that question, huh?"

Xion wiped her lips with the back of her hands and nodded. "Ya… I didn't do anything…"

"You didn't even at least write some calculation? Or a guessed answer?" Axel asked before he put a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"No… I leave it blank."

"Ah… What a shame. If you did something, you might be able to get a little score or even the whole mark, if you're lucky." Axel said while chewing then swallowed.

Xion stayed quiet but nodded. Her thoughts go back to the event yesterday, when she watched Roxas kissing Natalie. Somehow, the conversation between Axel and her reminded her of that incident. 'Fail that quiz' sounds like 'lose Roxas'. 'Didn't do anything' and 'leave it blank' is what she did when she watched the two blondes kissing. And when Axel said 'Didn't even at least write some calculation?', to her is like he's saying 'you didn't do anything to stop the kiss?'. And the sentence: 'If you did something, you might be able to get a little score or even the whole mark, if you're lucky.' sounds like 'If you did something, you might be able to get an answer from Roxas about the kiss or the whole kissing incident, if you're lucky that all Flippe said are lies and Roxas is still your best friend.'.

Xion sighed softly and got up from her seat. She placed the now-empty bowl into the kitchen sink and walked upstairs to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She couldn't help but start thinking again. 'I scared I am really going to lose Roxas. Darn it! I could have done something that time, like pulled Roxas away then punched Natalie in the face like she deserves. But no~ I just have to be a statue…'

She spat out the toothpaste foams, rinsed her mouth then wiped her lips dried. She looked at her reflection then muttered, "If I did pull Roxas away from Natalie, what will happen then?"

Downstairs, Axel also finished his breakfast and tried to piece the information he got together. 'If what I think is right… Whatever happened that made Xion depressed must be…

'1. Hard to accept/react. (Consider that question as the problem, it must mean it's hard.)

'2. She didn't do anything when that 'whatever' happened. (She said 'didn't do anything'.)

'3. Um… It has something to do with dogs?' Axel noted the points in his head, but raised an eyebrow when he thought of the 3rd point. 'Dogs? No… I don't think that's it…' Axel then erased point 3 from his 'mind-note'.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. It must be Roxas," Axel said as he stood up and walked to the front door. Just like he said, it is Roxas who rang the doorbell. Roxas greeted him with the usual smile. "Hi Axel!"

Axel smiled back, at least someone he know seems to be normal. "Yo, Rox! How's my man?" Axel said and ruffled his (Roxas's) hair.

Roxas chuckled and replied, "Fine as always. Nothing unusual. Oh, Axel. I still want to personally apologize about yesterday's event. I shouldn't laugh when Xion brought up the Emily incident. I bet Xion already told you that."

"It's okay, bro. What happened yesterday doesn't matter to me anymore. And what do you mean by 'I bet Xion already told you that?" Axel asked.

"Xion and I decided to apologize to you yesterday after school, but somehow, the plan is canceled. Xion said that she would represent me and herself to apologize to you. Didn't she do that?"

"Nop. She practically didn't exit her bedroom ever since she came home yesterday. Except for dinner and using the bathroom, she locked herself in her room. She told us that she's not feeling well and has homework to do." Axel said.

"Oh. I see. I bet she had just forgotten about it after a nap or something. She sounds tired when I called her yesterday." Roxas supposed.

"I guessed so. Speak of the devil," Axel said as he turned around and saw Xion walked down the stairs.

Xion looked up and saw Roxas and Axel by the door. "R-Roxas? Hi!" The ravenette greeted him with a smile. She didn't expect to see Roxas so soon. 'I'd better put my act on now.'

"Hi, Xion. Ready for school?" Roxas asked.

"Yup. Let me get my bag," She said and entered the dining room. In a few seconds, she walked out with her bag around her and walked towards them. She quickly wore her shoes and walked out of the house to join Roxas's side.

"See you later, Axel. And remember, you are paying for my ice cream today," The teen reminded her brother.

"Ah ah ah~ I have a part-time job today. So, if you don't want to wait until I came home to eat the ice cream, I suggest you buy one on your own," Axel told her.

"W-What?" Before Xion can say anything else, Axel quickly bid Roxas farewell then shut the door.

Roxas chuckled slightly and said, "I think that's he's way to tell you he's not gonna buy you an ice cream today."

Xion turned to face him and they both started to walk towards the rocky path. "He thought that I forgot that he has a part-time job today. But he's wrong~"

"So, you remember?"

Xion nodded. "I know he would use that as an excuse, so I took 10 munny from his wallet just now." She smirked and took out the 10 munny from her breast pocket and showed it to Roxas.

"You little pickpocket." Roxas commented as he looked at the money.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Today's ice cream is my treat. So, no need to spend money."

"You mean 'Axel's treat'."

"Whatever. It still means we got the ice cream for free," Xion said with a smile then tugged the money back into her pocket.

Roxas's smile faded away when he remembered yesterday's phone call. 'Should I ask her?' He thought as he stretched out his hand and touched Xion's shoulder lightly.

"What is it, Roxas?" Xion turned to face him and asked.

"A-Ah… I just… um…" Roxas shuttered. _What's wrong with me? A moment ago, I decided to act normal and wait until Xion to tell me the problem herself, but now I already wanted to ask her about yesterday. Why am I so impatient? _

"Nothing, Xio. Just wondering are you feeling better," Roxas said.

"I'm feeling much better, thanks for your concern," Xion told him with a smile. Inside her, she's holding herself back from jumping onto Roxas and demands him for explanation about the kiss with Natalie and proofs that would prove what Flippe said are all fake. She swore to act normal, and she would do that.

Roxas smiled back. "Good to know." For the rest of the journey, they tried their very best to act and sound normal, and they could say they did quite a good job.

Meanwhile with Axel, he's noting down the 3rd point. 'The 3rd point of 'Whatever happened that made Xion depressed' could be…' Axel thought for awhile then noted. '3. It made Xion so depress that she forgot about other things she should do.'

Axel sighed and walked into his bedroom. "What the hell is the problem?" Suddenly, he saw his wallet on the floor, next to the bedside table where he placed it on earlier. He picked it up and about to place it back onto the side table when he noticed something. "Hm… My wallet feels 10 munny short…" Opened his wallet, Axel counted the amount of munny in it and realized that it is indeed 10 munny short. "Where's one of my 10 munny notes?" Just then he knows why. "Xion… You are so in trouble, you little thief."

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

School went pretty well for the duo that day. So far, neither Roxas nor Xion had bumped into the Yellow-Eyed Witch and Devil. However, Roxas can't help but sensing something is wrong, like a new problem is going to happen. But he just shook it off. Thought that he made it up due to nervousness.

Lunch time was great and they had a very good time chatting with Kairi and Riku. And they also played a mini-game called 'Guess my Food', which is very simple. Riku and Roxas talked about the sword fighting competition which is coming in three weeks times. While Kairi and Xion are talking about the singing competition that Xion joined. The song she will sing is still a mystery for Sora, Kairi, Namine and Riku, because Xion would like it to be a secret.

"You're going to be great, Xion! You're going to be kicking butts!" Kairi said happily.

"K-Kairi. Not so loud." Xion told her.

"It's okay, Xion. No one would hear us. Everyone is having their own conversation, why would they listen to ours?" Kairi said.

"I know… But still…"

"Okay~ I'll talk softer. Anyway, you said that Rasp is joining right?" The redhead asked.

Xion nodded. "Ya. She is."

Kairi grinned and said, "This is the best opportunity to show her who's better than her! You're so going to kick her butt!"

Xion giggled and gave Kairi a nod. "I'll try my very best."

"You're gonna be awesome!" Kairi squealed then hugged the ravenette excitedly.

Xion smiled then looked over to Roxas, who's laughing along with Riku about something. 'If I win… Will Roxas be happy?'

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"We're going to my house today, right?" A blonde teen asked the black-haired girl beside him as they walked out of Twilight Starz High front gate side by side.

Xion nodded and said, "Yup! But not before we go buy ourselves an ice cream each." She pulled the 10 munny note out and waved it in front of Roxas's face with a smile. "This munny note won't spend itself, you know."

"I guess it won't. You do know that you're in trouble, right? Stealing from Axel." Roxas asked as they continued walking to the ice cream shop.

"Maybe~ But he promised to buy me an ice cream today. Since he can't buy it for me himself, I'll just buy it myself by using his money. Both methods got the same result: I get my free ice cream." Xion said.

Soon, they reached the ice cream store and brought two Sea Salt Ice Cream. There goes Axel's hard-earned cash.

On the way to Roxas's house, both of them eat their ice cream in silence. None of them know what to say.

The practice is just like the usual, but minus the lots of laughing and chatting they have during the past practices. Today, the atmosphere was tense, and it made both of them very uncomfortable, especially they are both hiding things from each other. Xion could hardly concentrate her playing when each time she looks at Roxas only to remember the incident yesterday.

Xion groaned in frustration when she played a wrong note for the 15th time of that day.

"You okay, Xion? You made a lot mistakes today in just one hour. You never made this many mistakes before," Roxas stated and handed Xion's a glass of lemonade.

Xion thanked him for the drink then answered, "I'm not sure… Maybe I'm just tired or something…" She took a few sips then continued, "Well… I do have a little headache now…"

Roxas gave her a worried look then said, "Then you need to rest. That's all for today's practice." Roxas took all the music sheets and stacked them neatly together. Placed them into Xion's notebook and handed it to her while suggesting, "Go home and take a nap. If it doesn't get rid of the headache, take some pills. Don't want your head to explode from aching now, do we?"

Xion giggled softly then said, "I'm sure I don't want it to…" She sighed softly. "Sorry… Seems like I can't accompany you for long today."

Roxas gave her a smile. "It's okay, Xio. I got used to be alone in this house anyway. I'll find something to do to kill the time. Maybe I'll go see Axel later at his part-time job."

"Okay, if you say so." Xion finished the lemonade then handed the glass to Roxas when he asked for it. She got up and placed the notebook into her bag. "If Axel asked you about the munny, tell him you have no idea what he's talking about."

Roxas chuckled then nodded.

Xion smiled softly then together, they walked down the stairs and to the foyer. Xion bid Roxas farewell and walked home.

The long walk home was quiet and slow, but she reached her house eventually. She said 'I'm home' to her mom then walked up to her bedroom. She placed her school bag onto her chair, walked over to her bed and fell onto it. She adjusted her position so she's lying on her side and hugged the pillow in her arms once again. Hugging it always makes her feel better… She sighed once again, closed her eyes then dug her nose into the pillow, inhaling the smell of the shampoo she used, which is a gift from Roxas. Ocean scent… So soothing…

Chobi chirped and flew out from its opened cage, landed on the pillow. It chirped again, happy that its owner is back and can play with it or give it a permission to fly around town.

Xion opened her eyes and gave Chobi's head a few gentle strokes. "Oh Chobi… What should I do? It's so hard to act normal with Roxas… I kept on feeling nervous around him. Every time I saw him, everything just came back to me, nesting in my head like parasites." Xion moved her hand to stroke Chobi under the chin. It chirped happily.

"I hope I can keep this whole acting plan up… Or this friendship between me and Roxas might really come to an end. And I don't want to lose Roxas… I don't…" Chobi made a low 'Kweh' before walked closer to its owner and stroked her forehead with its own head, comforting her.

Xion smiled slightly. "Thanks Cho… You can go have a fly now." She gave her pet chocobo a stroke on the head before watching it took off and flew out of the window.

Xion turned to lie on her back then let out a small yawn. "Maybe a nap would do me some good…" She pulled the pillow to set it under her head and made herself comfortable. "I wish… Everything would just be normal…"

Soon, the ravenette fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Unfortunately, this is the end of Chapter ****10. And I'm dying from guilt... So SORRY! DX**

**Next chap would be shorter, like 3000 words or longer if I'm able to make it longer. As for when? I dont know myself... School start at the beginning of Jan, so it would be busy. But I think I would be able to update within December. I'll try my best to squeeze in some free time into my schedule.**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

******Roxas Hikari**

**Xion Zayas**

**Axel Zayas**

**Kairi Minami**

**Riku Fukuda  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D See ya all in the next chap!**


	11. The Changes

**. . . . . . You know what, I don't wanna say anything cause I felt I'm not worthy to. I'll have the 'Worst Updater' badge now. Sorry for this late update. This month has been very busy... Sorry! DX I should start now. *zip my lips up*  
**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, emmausgirl94, NoOneXIII, Starowner, TheEspadaSisters, amazoness23, KC-Chan13, khdayskh1314 and xion for reviewing this story. Especially Starowner, amazoness23, khdayskh1314, emmausgirl94, xion, KC-Chan13 and NightfallSky for reviewing the previous chapter! Thx you guys so MUCH! HEARTS HEARTS HEARTS!  


**I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, NoOneXIII, amazoness23, KHlover34, KC-Chan13, TheUnwelcomedSavior, and khdayskh1314 for fav this story. And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner and khdayskh1314 for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested to be THE AWESOME PEOPLE like them? And get... Paupo Fruit cookies? !  
**

**I would also love to thank all the readers for been loyal and continue reading. Thank you! :D  
**

**I hope you all will enjoy this chap. And I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story and this story for been short. Plz enjoy.**

* * *

**Reply to xion: Thank you so much for the review! So do I! They are just so cute~ X3 Yes, their time in the tree house is also my favorite too. :D I'll try my best to make this story even better and update faster. I'll try.  
**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 11: The Changes

Weekends came and left, the two teens succeeded in acting normal around each other with unnoticeable flaws and Axel didn't asked his sister any questions to let her spend a fun weekends together. They did what they usually do on weekends: chat on the clock tower, having tons of ice creams, helps Axel out with his (Saturday's) morning part-time job and hope Axel might treat them for that day (which they didn't get it this time because he knew they used his money to buy ice creams last time), hanging out with their friends, skateboarding and a lot more if they have enough time. However, Xion and Roxas spend about 2 hours of their late afternoon time to practice the song for the competition, let Axel to do his own favorite things or nap. Then they would watch the sunset together on the clock tower before retired into the night.

Xion smiled as she combed her hair and gets ready for bed on Sunday night. Even though it was hard not to remember what Flippe told her with Roxas by her side all the time, but she still enjoyed every minute of her weekend with him and her brother. So what what Flippe told her is cruel and might -just might- be true? Xion felt her friendship with Roxas is still close as ever and he doesn't seem to be pretending to be still her friend like Flippe said. His laughter, actions, words, everything is still the same as before, since they are still little.

Maybe what the back of her mind said is true: Flippe Kellett is a big fat liar. Xion smiled even wider at that thought. She couldn't totally believe that statement before when she saw Roxas and Natalie kissed, but after spending time with Roxas, she slowly accepted it. Flippe doesn't have proof that can prove what he said is 100% true, that kiss won't prove enough of it.

'As long as Roxas is still my friend, I guess I won't mind if he does like Rasp… Their blonde hair does make them looks like a couple… As a friend, I should support him, right?' Xion thought then sighed and placed her comb down. 'But what does Roxas like about Rasp? Her looks?' Xion touched her short black hair and thought about Natalie's beautiful long golden hair. Natalie's skin is also fairer than hers. She immediately knew that she lost on the look part.

'M-Maybe… Could it be her intelligence? Wait… I'm stronger than her.' It was true. She beat Natalie in all the subjects they have in common. The witch's grade isn't really bad, but Xion still take the first place.

'Then… Her figure?' Xion looked at her new pyjama-clad body in the mirror in front of her. She used to only wear a T-shirt and shorts when she goes to sleep. But she wore the pyjama for the night because it was new, a gift from her mom, and she wanted to know whether it is comfortable or not. The pyjama top is baggy, so she pulled the cloth just above her stomach in order to see her curves. Her figure is okay, not too thin nor too fat, only a bit chubby. What she dislikes about her body is her chest; they are just too flat, like an airport runway. Xion thought about Natalie's and frowned. She won, that's for sure.

'I wish those are fake. Stuffed the bra with tissue or something. If Roxas really like her just for those, then he's a perv.' She giggled softly, deep down, she knew Roxas isn't that kind of guy.

Xion walked away from the mirror and sat down onto her comfy bed, wondering what else could be a reason that Roxas liked about Natalie. She glanced around her room and laid her eyes on her closet. She stood up and opened it, looking at her clothes. There are jeans, T-shirt, hoodies, jackets, a dress for formal occasion, shorts, a few skirts that reached her mid-thigh and her school uniforms and spare PE uniform. In short, her fashion is rather tomboyish…

'Could Roxas like Rasp for her fashion?' Xion thought and took a black T-shirt with the word 'Tomboy' in white and decorated with white splattered paint design. She knows she doesn't wear girly enough, but is that the reason why he likes Natalie? 'Rasp's fashion is girly, but too revealing… She even unbuttoned the first button of her school uniform! And those miniskirts she wore when I saw her in the mall… They are _way_ too short.'

Xion sighed and put the T-shirt back into her closet. 'Maybe… If I wear girlier, Roxas would notice me more instead of her then leave her for good…'

Suddenly, Xion's eyes shot wide-opened when she realized what she just talked about. She closed her closet quickly then jumped onto her bed, wrapping her small form with her warm blanket. She pulled her legs to her chest and hugged it tightly. 'I-I can't believe it… I actually… I actually _compared_ myself with Rasp! All because I want to know why Roxas like her! But… Why do I compare her to me? And 'notice me more'? Roxas has always been with me more than with Rasp. And I should support Roxas as a friend, then why do I wish he would leave Rasp? Why did I think of those? W-What…. What is this feeling?'

Xion hugged her legs even tighter and dug her nose into her knees. Her left hand clutched tightly onto the pyjama, right above her heart, which is thumping faster and faster. Is she worried? If yes, why is she worried? What is she worried about? What is this odd feeling? Anger? Sadness? Jealously?

Xion's head shot up quickly when the last word came to her. Jealously? Why would she be jealous? What is she jealous about? Xion shook her head and covered her face into her knees once more. "Roxas's just a best friend of mine. Nothing else. Nothing else…" Slowly, she released her legs and lay on the bed by her side. She made herself comfortable and fell into a dreamless sleep, letting her pet, Chobi, to switch off the light for her before it drifted off to a sleep too.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"RING!" The school bell rang loudly as Xion and Roxas packed up their Chemistry items and exited the classroom. It's lunch for them, but class time for their friends. So only the two of them would have lunch for every Monday, unless there is a slight chance in the schedule that would able to let their friends join them. But that didn't happen very often.

"So~ What do you gonna have for lunch?" Xion asked Roxas as they walked side by side towards the canteen.

"A slice of pizza with lots and lots of cheese. No one could ever eat a pizza without cheese on it," Roxas replied and gave his lips a lick. He swore he could taste those delicious cheeses right at that moment.

"And pepperoni. Just for you information, pepperoni is people's number one favorite topping for pizza. But cheese is delicious too. Especially when it is all melted and became stretchy. Man! Now you made me want to eat pizza too!" Xion pouted.

Roxas chuckled at her action then asked, "What do you have?"

"Meatloaf topped with barbecue sauce with mashed potatoes at the side and some fresh lettuce."

"Wow. That is some nice lunch. Now to think about it, it has been awhile since I last ate meatloaf." Roxas said.

Xion smiled at him and suggested, "Why don't we share our lunch? So we got to eat both."

"Sure. That's a great idea," Roxas agreed and smiled back.

Roxas and Xion walked into the canteen and hurried sat down onto a vacant table. Roxas was getting his lunch out when he realized he had forgotten to take the Coca-Cola can from the fridge before he came to school today.

"Ah darn it…" The blonde mumbled.

Xion just took her lunchbox out when she heard what Roxas said. "Darn what, Roxas?"

Roxas sighed. "I forgot to take my soft drink. I left it at home."

"Let's just share mine. But I hope you like soya bean milk," Xion asked.

'S-Share? The same drink? The same s-straw? Won't that mean… An indirect kiss? !' Roxas's eyes were wide opened as he blinked twice then quickly denied Xion's offer with a light blush on his face.

"N-No need, Xion! I-I'll just buy myself one from the drink vending machine," Roxas said, still blushed in a light pink. But Xion didn't seem to notice it.

"You sure? I don't mind sharing it, you know."

Roxas gave her a small smile then said, "It's okay. I'll just buy a drink from the vending machine, so the both of us won't be thirsty. Don't start eating first until I get back." Roxas turned then trotted towards where the vending machines would be.

Soon, Roxas disappeared from her view in the sea of students. Xion simply shrugged at Roxas's weird reaction just now then took out her packet of soya bean milk and punctured the small aluminum circle the top side with the provided straw when she felt a presence near her. And it wasn't a pleasant one.

Xion turned her head and just as she thought, it was Flippe Kellett who stood next to her. She gave him a glare before turned her head back and asked, "What is it you want, lying devil?"

She could hear Flippe made a soft chuckle then walked to sit at the opposite seat of her, where Roxas would be sitting later. "It seems you still hang out with the other devil, huh? Xi-Xi?"

Xion scowled then warned, "Don't ever call me that again if you want to see tomorrow's daylight. And FYI, Roxas is still my friend. No matter what."

"You mean 'pretending friend', right? I believed I told you that last Thursday," Flippe said as he drummed his fingers on the table.

"Well, all you said last time are just nonsense that doesn't worth my time listening to. You know, if I am a real witch, I bet that tongue of a liar in your mouth would be able to sell for a good price," Xion said emotionlessly and took a drink of the soya bean milk.

Flippe chuckled one again. "Tongue of a liar? Are you accusing me of being a liar?"

Xion stopped sucking the straw then replied, "I'm not accusing. What I said is the truth, because you are a liar."

"Really? What I said to you that Thursday is the truth too. And that kissing scene of Hikari and Natalie prove-" Flippe's sentence was cut short by Xion.

"It proved nothing!" Xion shouted and banged her palm onto the table, caused almost everyone in the canteen to look up and look at them. Xion didn't care about the stares as she sends death glares to Flippe. If eyes can kill, she had murdered that devil and Yellow-Eyed Witch a lot of time by now.

Flippe, on the other hand, just kept a smirk on his face. Very quickly, all the students who stopped to look at them turned back to do their own business. "Really? Nothing? If it doesn't proved Hikari likes Natalie, why would they be kissing?"

Xion flinched slightly then relaxed her shoulders. "It might have proved that point, but not the others. That kiss won't prove everything that you said."

Flippe chuckled again while standing up. "You can think whatever you want. But… _FYI_…" He mimicked her as he leaned forwards then snatched the packet of soya bean milk from her hand and took a few sucks from the straw. Xion watched him drank her soya bean milk with wide eyes. A few seconds later, Flippe removed the straw from his lips then gave Xion a wide smirk. He continued, "I'm the good guy here. And I believed we just shared our first indirect kiss."

"W-What?" Xion murmured but Flippe was already gone when she snapped out from her thought.

'Good guy? Indirect kiss? What?' Xion asked herself then gave her lips a wipe. It might be an indirect kiss, no real contact between two lips, but it's still gross. Especially when that guy is him. Eying the packet of soya bean milk on the table, Xion picked it up and placed it at a far distance from her.

Xion let out a low growl and ran her fingers through her short hair. "What the hell is wrong with him? Acting like that." She received no answer.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*

Roxas trotted towards where the drink vending machines would be and took his wallet out when he noticed a short line in front of the soft drink vending machine. He queued up like the rest of the students while his mind went back to the previous event. Xion suggested him that they can share a drink. Wouldn't it be an indirect kiss? Does Xion even thought about it when she makes that suggestion? Or she just wants to share it so he can have a drink too, as a friend?

Roxas felt heat crept up his cheeks once again then he shook it off. 'W-Why am I blushing over something like an indirect kiss that doesn't even happen? What's wrong with me? And why would I think of indirect kiss in the first place? !'

Quickly bought a coke from the vending machine, Roxas walked away from the vending machine and back to his seat when someone called out to him. "Roxas!"

Turned to the voice, shock claimed his face. It was Natalie Rasp who called out to him just now. He quickly looked away and continued walking, tried to pretend that he didn't hear her. After what happened last Thursday, he really didn't want to face her.

"Roxas. Roxas! Please wait for awhile." Natalie continued to call out to Roxas and quickened her pace to keep up to Roxas.

"Wait, please!" Natalie said and grabbed Roxas's hand, caused him to stop.

'Oh shoot! She caught me! Wait… Did she… Just…?' Roxas thought and turned back to look at Natalie with curiosity. "Did you just call me 'Roxas'?"

Natalie nodded and slowly letting his hand go. An innocent smile placed on her face as she said, "Yes, Roxas. I have thought back to what you said last Thursday again and again. I have realized that what I did was wrong. I shouldn't force kissed you and insults your friends like that. I-I… I'm just jealous that your friends were able to spend more time with you and I can't. I want to know you better, and I can't think of any good ways to do it. So I acted like that to your friends to get your attention. I'm sorry, Roxas. I just want to be with you… Can… Can we be friends? Please?" Natalie put on her puppy eyes and waited for Roxas's answer.

Meanwhile with Roxas, his head is filled with a lot of questions. 'W-What the hell? ! What happened to Natalie? I-Is she nice now? She didn't call me all those nicknames but my real name, for the first time! A-And she apologized? !' Roxas blinked thrice in pure confusion. 'What happened? ! This isn't the Yellow-Eyed Witch we used to know and hate!'

"Um… Rasp?" Roxas spoke for the first time to her.

"Yes Roxas?"

"Are you alright? This isn't… you…"

Natalie gave him another smile then nodded. "I'm alright, Roxas. Thank you for caring. And this is the real me. I wasn't always mean. I only did that to get attention from you, Roxas. But after last Thursday, I realized what I did won't get you to be my friend. So I've decided to be the real me once again."

"The real you?" Roxas asked. This kind looking girl is the real side of Natalie Rasp? It's impossible! Right?

Natalie nodded once again with the smile still plastered on her face. "Roxas… Back to the question, can we be friend? And not enemy?"

"Um…" Roxas stayed quiet while drumming his fingers on the Coca-Cola can. Is what Rasp said real? Is this really the real side of her? Or she is just acting? But… The way she talked and all, is so real… Finally, he answered. "Sorry, Rasp. I don't know yet. And can you call me 'Hikari' instead of 'Roxas' for now?"

Natalie nodded again and replied, "Of course, Hikari. I'll wait for your answer. See you." She waved him farewell and walked away from him, then disappeared into the crowd.

"Should I trust her now? No… Not yet…" Roxas murmured than walked to the table where Xion is waiting for him. He quickly apologized to Xion for waiting for him this long. "I'm so sorry, Xion! There was a little technical difficulty with the vending machine, it almost eat my money for nothing." 'Oh great. I lied again…' He thought.

"Oh, I see. It's okay, Roxas. Let's eat! I'm starving!" Xion said and opened her lunch box.

"Me too. Let's eat." Roxas said and sat down to take out his lunch and started to share it with Xion. He was in the middle of chewing a piece of Xion's meatloaf when he noticed the soya bean milk packet on the table that was placed far away from Xion.

"Ne, Xion."

"Hm?" Xion asked while eating the mashed potato.

Roxas pointed to the soya bean milk packet then asked, "Why do you put it so far away from you?"

Xion turned to look at the drink packet then narrowed her eyes, as if in anger. She turned back to look at her lunch then answer, "Oh. It tasted funny, maybe expired or something. So, since I won't be drinking it, I put it away from me. I'll throw it away later."

"So that means you don't have a drink?"

The ravenette nodded.

"Why don't I go buy one for you? What do you like?" Roxas asked as he was about to stand up.

"N-No need, Roxas. I wasn't thirsty anyway." Xion quickly told him.

"Really?"

"Ya." Xion muttered. After that incident with Flippe, Xion thinks she won't be able to drink anything for awhile.

"Okay then. If you said so." Roxas said and sat back down.

Xion smiled at him and said, "Thanks for asking anyway, Roxas. Now, why don't you tell me more about the upcoming sword fighting competition? I heard Cloud Strife will be attending the competition."

"Oh ya! Our coach told us about that. Man. This year's competition would be so tough! Xi, do you think that that huge sword of his will…"

For the rest of the lunch, Xion and Roxas spent a good time together, but neither of them told each other about the strange behavior of the devil and the witch.

For the rest of the week, both Natalie and Flippe weren't acting like they used to be. Natalie greeted Roxas very politely, like an angel and didn't bother him and his friends. Flippe is still a little like his old self, but he seems to get nearer and nearer Xion by the days. He also talked nicely to her and slowly stops bringing up the 'Roxas is also a devil' topic. He doesn't seem to be flirting with her as he talked to her like a friend and treated her like one too.

The week quickly ends and it was the best week they both ever have in that school, without Natalie and Flippe annoyed them all days. Are Natalie and Flippe good for real? Neither of them knows the real answer but they couldn't help but think: Is Natalie/Flippe planning something?

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**Sorry cause that's the end of this chap. I'm really sorry for those who love longer chapters.**

**Next chap would be longer, and we're getting nearer to the climax! As for when I'll update? I dont know myself... School start next week (time flies...) and I heard it would be a stressful study. I'll try my best to type whenever I get a free time and update. I'll make no more promises for the updates cause I might break most of them anyway... I made myself a lot of haters, dont I...**

**Thank you for your patience for waiting for this chapter and didn't track me down and kill me. Hope you enjoy the story and hope to see you in the next chap.  
**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

******Roxas Hikari**

**Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)  
**

**Natalie Rasp (aka The Yellow-Eyed Witch)  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review or fav or alert! Even better, change all the 'or' into 'and'! :D  
**


	12. Forgotten and Absence

**. . . . . . . . . Can one of you slap me? Please?**

**Okay... 4 months with no updates is just cruel of me, isnt it? I really should manage my time better. Nothing else to say but... GUILTY! DX**

**I would love to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness**, arkee, **NightfallSky**, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, emmausgirl94, NoOneXIII, Starowner, TheEspadaSisters, amazoness23, KC-Chan13, khdayskh1314 and xion for reviewing this story. Especially violentyetawesome, khdayskh1314, KC-Chan13, emmausgirl94, NightfallSky and Takamira for reviewing the previous chapter. Really love you guys for all those beautiful review!  


******I would also love to thanks emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, Magikbyrd, amazoness23, Ichiruki lover67, KC-Chan13, TheUnwelcomedSavior, and khdayskh1314 for fav this story. **

******And emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner, khdayskh1314 and TheSpiritOfSnow for alert this story. Love u all too! Who else will be added into the list? Anyone interested to be THE AWESOME PEOPLE like them?  
**

******And I would never ever forget those loyal readers. You guys are awesome!  
**

******So, hope you guys can put your weapon aside first, and enjoy the story. Sorry for any mistakes and please, attack me later. Enjoy~**

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******Sing Me A Song  
**

Chapter 12: Forgotten and Absence

**Wednesday, two days till competition countdown**

Friday, two more days to go, the day of the first singing competition. Xion sighed in nervousness as she looked at her calendar. Time sure flies, so many weeks had passed and the competition is only two days from now. To think back to the time when Kairi said she would be kicking the other contestants' butt, that was nearly two weeks ago! Time is running too fast.

Xion had received the notification from their Music teacher, Mr. Medote, last week. The competition would hold after school on Friday. The venue would be the school's theater. The notification also informed the contestants to bring their own formal wear to change in the backstage for the competition. There would be only 20 people participate in the competition, so the whole competition might only take at most, two hours. The winners would be announced at the end of the competition. The awards, however, would be left unknown until the winners are announced on that day.

'I wonder what kind of awards they are gonna be…' Xion thought as she picked up school bag. Today is Wednesday and it would be the last day Xion would practice the piano in Roxas's home. He advised that it is better if she didn't practice on the day before the competition, so she won't be engulfed by nervousness and caused her to freak out during the competition. Since Roxas had participated in many piano competitions and concerts in his past 17 years, Xion thinks following his advice might be for the best.

Just like the rest of the days, Roxas picked her up as usual and they both walked to school together. The morning classes, except Art class, were a drag. But what Xion really looked forwards to is the weekly 'lunch reunion' with all her friends. They have so many things to chat about.

"Isn't it fast? The singing competition is just two days away!" Kairi said excitedly.

Sora nodded then added, "And the sword fighting competition is in a week's time. Man! I wanna slash my sword at those opponents! They are no match for me!"

Roxas chuckled then said, "Don't be so sure, Sora. Remember, Cloud Strife is going to join this year. And only one of us will have the chance to duel with him."

"So? I'll beat him! I'll be the one who would duel with him! I'll defeat that spiky-head!" Sora exclaimed with determination.

"You're the spiky-head," Riku said with a small smile on his face.

Sora turned to look at his friend then said, "So you're saying I can't beat him, aren't you, Riku?"

Riku simply nodded, which caused Sora's face to heat up and only reddened even more when Riku added, "I don't even think you would stand a chance to duel with him."

"Don't underestimate me, Riku. I'll defeat him for real. Why don't we make a bet, whoever beats Cloud Strife, will get 500 munny from the loser. What do you say, Riku?" Sora (stupidly) suggested the deal.

Riku's smile grew larger as he heard the amount of the 'prize', "You got yourself a bet, my friend. Ready to hand over the cash."

"What if none of you win?" Namine asked the two boys who are sending daggers through their glare.

"There's no need to worry about that, hon. One of us are going to win, and it's going to be me." Riku said and wrapped his arm around Namine's waist, pulling her closer to him. "After all, I have you there to cheer for me."

"No~ It's going to be me." Sora retorted.

"Nope. It's me." Riku fought back.

"No~ Me!"

"Nope. Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Stop making yourself a fool, Sora."

That goes on for a moment, and during that time, the girls talked about the singing competition while Roxas tried to stop his two friends from starting an unnecessary fight.

"So~ Xion. Are you ready for the competition?" Kairi asked.

"Kinda. I'm still nervous though," Xion replied.

Namine gave the ravenette a comforting smile then said, "It's normal to be nervous. We are human after all. Just try your best and we'll pray for the best too."

Xion smiled back.

"Yup! We will be there to cheer you on, Xion. You'll win for sure!" Kairi said and the others looked at her and gave her a smile or nod, telling her they would be there to cheer her on.

Xion smiled even wider and thanked them. "Thank you, guys. You all are the best."

Lunch soon ended and so was school. The last piano practice in Roxas's home was fluent and she played the whole song, while singing, without making any mistakes. As a reward for not making any mistakes, Roxas treated Xion Sea Salt Ice Cream for the day. They spent a very great time together but eventually it was time for Xion to go home. Bid Roxas farewell, Xion walked home happily and wished the day when she can go back to his house to practice for the next competition would come soon.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**Thursday, one day till competition countdown**

Kweh~ Kweh~ Kweh~

"Hmm…" Xion moaned in exhaustion as she crawled out of her comfy, warm blanket then poke her head out. With a slight turn of her head, she saw sunlight seeped through her window and illuminated her room in a warm color. 'It's day time…'

Pushed herself up from her bed, she yawned then stretched her back, letting out a moan in pleasure.

'Hmm… Still tired…' Xion was about to flop back onto her bed and slept to her heart's content when somebody knocked on the door. "Hey, slowpoke."

Argh… It's her brother. "Go away, Axel… I wanna sleep…"

She heard Axel snorted at the other side of her door, then he spoke. "Fine. Sleep like a pig you are. I just want to be a good brother and tell you mom made the chicken sandwich again. Since you wanna sleep, fine~ More for me!"

Xion's eyes snapped wide opened and she quickly jumped out of her bed and ran to open her bedroom's door, only to be greeted by a smirking spiky redhead. She glared at him then said, "Don't. You. Dare…"

"Oh~ I dare. Dress up now if you want one." Axel told her before he turned and walked downstairs. Didn't want her selfish brother to eat all of the sandwiches, Xion quickly took her school uniform out, dressed, don't even bother to comb her messy hair, picked up her school bag then raced down the stairs and into the dining room.

"Where's my chicken sandwich? !" Xion practically shouted when she saw an empty dish on the table. 'Don't tell me…'

Xion's mom blinked then asked, "Chicken sandwich? Xion dear, I didn't make any chicken sandwiches today. I made egg mayo sandwiches instead."

"Egg mayo?" Xion blinked twice and the side of her eye twitched slightly. Is not that she hate egg mayo, she love them too. But what angered her most is… "AXEL, YOU BAKA ONII-CHAN!" He lied to her!

Axel, who is sitting by the table on his usual seat, was clutching onto his stomach and laughed like a madman. "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Xion pouted in anger then hit Axel's head with her messenger bag with all of her strength, earning a yelp in pain from him. "Baka onii-chan!"

"That hurts, Xi! What the hell! ?" The redhead groaned in pain as he clutched onto the top of his head where the bag struck. He can feel a bump formed on it already. Man! This is just as painful as the time Larxene kicked him on the shin! 'Larxene… I wonder how she is…'

Xion didn't seem to notice the eyes of her brother softens when she said, "That's payback for lying to me about having chicken sandwiches for breakfast!"

"Hmm…" Axel groaned in pain as a reply. Xion let out a sigh and sat down to have her breakfast. She's kinda disappointed that there are no chicken sandwiches for breakfast, but glad that egg mayo sandwich taste just as delicious.

Xion glanced up to look at her brother then realized he was really silent, like he's in a deep thought or something. "Um… Axel, you alright?" She asked, scared that the hit she did just now might had struck some nerve in his brain. OMG! What if her brother had turned into a retard? What should she do? Xion started to panic inside until her brother spoke.

"Oh? Oh, I'm fine. Just tired, not enough sleep." To prove it, Axel let out a yawn then lay back onto the chair. "You snored so loud last night, I can't even sleep."

Xion felt a vein on her head popped as she retorted angrily, "I do NOT snore while I sleep!"

"How do you know? You were asleep," Axel teased back.

That was kinda true… But she would never admit that. "I just know! I do NOT snore!" Xion said and put on an angry pout.

Axel laughed at her angry –yet cute- expression then said, "Okay okay~ I'm just kidding. Go and hurry brush your teeth, slowpoke. Roxas would be here any moment now." With Larxene still in his thought, he wasn't in the mood to tease his sister for the moment.

"It's still early bro, thanks to you and your stupid prank/joke whatever that called. Roxy won't be here yet for like another 15 minutes." Xion took the final bite of her sandwich.

Axel lifted an eyebrow when he heard what Xion called Roxas just now. "'Roxy' huh? Why do you call him that? It sounds like what lovers called each other. Oh~ You two are dating now?"

Xion blushed a bright pink. "N-No! Of course! Me and Roxas? Ahahaha. No. Nop. Definitely not. We're just best friend. Nothing else."

"Really?"

The blush on Xion's face didn't fade as she nodded. "Yup. Totally. I-I… Ah… I'll go brush my teeth now." When she finished, she stood up and ran up the stairs, leaving a smirking redhead behind.

Axel tsked then shook his head slightly. "Young love. *Sigh* She's still denying~ Hope she won't lost Roxas to someone else. Wait… Does that mean… I might…"

Ever since Axel is around Xion's age, he caught a lot of girl's eyes due to his looks, being popular (due to his looks too of course) and the title: 'Frisbee King' he got when he won the Frisbee competition 8 times in a row. Just his luck, it was his favorite number too. With all the fangirls in his school and random girls commented him he's cute under his profile picture in the internet, none of them caught his eyes nor full attention. Yes, he did flirt with them. But he only did that in order to let the people remember him even more. He wants to be immortal by living in those people's memories.

Larxene Sekito, the beautiful sadist that electrified his heart with those cold eyes that seem to be sending him electricity when they first met, was the first girl ever to steal his heart, eyes and full attention. How he wanted to brush his fingers through that beautiful blonde hair of hers, whisper sweet things into her ears like lovers would to hear her giggles and see her blush (even though he's pretty sure Larxene would just give him a hit or a punch), bury his face in the crook of her neck to smell her wonderful lemony scent (which he smelt when he's using himself as a shield for her last time), and all of the other cheesy romantic things lovers do. But out of everything he wanted to do with her is just one, one important thing that would change everything either to best or worst. And that is something he once called 'cooties': A kiss.

Now, the redhead can't help but wonder what a simple kiss would change if he really got to meet her again and kissed her. Would she pushed him away, slapped him, kicked him in the crotch then never to speak to him again, thus ending their friendship? Or would she pushed him away, tell him she's sorry because she already married or found someone? Oh wait. Those two are not good at all. The best thing that would happen would be she loved him back then they can be together. But Axel doubt that would happen. If Larxene really love him, she should be back by now or never leave Twilight Town in the first place. The very possible thing Axel can think of is that she had moved on her life in another town and either still remember him or already forgotten about him.

"Still remembering me would be great though…" Axel murmured then let out a deep sigh, hanging his head in depression.

" Who remember you would be great?" A voice asked.

"If Larxene still remembers me that would be great…" Axel stopped then looked up, only to saw his sister standing in front of him with her school back around her shoulder.

Axel panicked then asked, "W-What? ! What in the world are you doing here? !"

"Taking my bag, you idiot," Xion answered then asked, "Ne, Axel. Who is 'Lar-se-in'?

Axel gave himself a facepalm for spilling out his crush's name. What's worse is that Xion mispronounced it! "FYI, it's pronounced as 'Lark-sene'. Anyway, she's no one you should care about. So go along to your school and start your school day or whatever." Axel said and do the 'shoo-shoo' gesture to her.

Xion rolled her eyes then teased, "Oh~ So Larxene is a girl, huh? What? Do you like her or something?"

This time, it was Axel's turn to turn crimson that almost matched his hair colour. "N-No. I don't."

"You're blushing~ You're lying~ Blushing! Blushing! Blushing!" Xion continued to tease her brother, didn't realized his figure shook slightly.

The next thing Xion know, Axel pushed her out of the front door until the front porch then shut the door behind her without a word. The ravenette turned and tried to open the door, but found it was locked by Axel. "Open the door, Axel! I haven't worn my shoes yet!"

Just then the door opened slightly and a pair of shoes was thrown out before the door shut close once again. Xion struggled with the knob a few times before she gave up when it remained locked. Great… She had to wear her shoes outside for the day.

"Teasing Axel is no fun…" Xion huffed while she slid her feet into her shoes then tighten the shoelaces. Tapping her shoes slightly with each other, she stood up straight then looked at the direction of the rocky path to town. "Since I'm locked out, I might as well go to school. I might meet up with Roxas on the way."

Turned to face the door, Xion stuck out her tongue (to her brother) before she turned back and walked towards the rocky path and towards town. The breeze was nice as they blew onto her face and the birds above the trees sang out a relaxing song. Xion always love the walk to town on this rocky path. Especially during the spring when the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the bright sunlight shone onto her through the tree leaves. Everything is just peaceful.

Suddenly, Xion noticed a head of spiky blonde hair further down the path. Just like she predicted, she meet up with Roxas, who seems to be happily skipping up the path like a new born fawn. And why would he do such girlish thing? Come on, skipping?

"Hi, Roxas!" Xion called out to him.

Roxas looked up to the voice and the grin on his face widen. "Xion!" He called out and ran towards her.

"You seem to be very happy today. What happened?" Xion questioned her best friend when he stopped in front of her, the huge grin remained on his face.

"Oh! How do you know that?"

"I believe everyone would think of that when they saw a teenage boy skipping around like a 5 year old girl who got a new dress." Roxas flushed in embarrassment when he heard that.

"You saw that?"

Xion nodded then asked again, "So, what made you so happy?"

"You know Torue and Jarred from my History class?" Xion nodded slightly to him before he continued, "They told me this morning that tomorrow an exhibition of the ancient Keyblades would be held in Twin Hills! They said they would be able to drive me and a few of the other History class students to the exhibition tomorrow after school! Can you believe it? ! After so many years, I got to see the Keyblades with my own eyes!"

T-Tomorrow? ! Isn't that when the singing competition would hold? ! Xion's eyes were wide opened from the information Roxas told her. Really? Tomorrow? ! "R-Roxas… Are you sure it's tomorrow?" Tomorrow is the competition! After school as well! Did he forgotten about it? !

Roxas nodded excitedly then said, "Yup! I really can't believe it! Real Keyblades and I got to see them! This is a once in a lifetime chance!"

"B-But, do you have to go tomorrow? Not on Saturday?" Xion asked. She really want Roxas to come to the competition, he can't leave just like that!

"Jarred said it is a one-day only exhibition, so if I missed out tomorrow, I missed out forever!" Roxas explained.

B-But but… Xion looked at Roxas with disbelieve. Did he really forgotten about the competition? Clearly, he is telling her he really really really (times infinity) wanted to go to the exhibition. She knew about that. Ever since Roxas got interested about the Keyblade and it's history when he was a little kid, he swore he would see one with his very own eyes someday. That became a dream of his, a wish, a goal he had to complete before he left the world. But now, that goal of his caused him to forgotten about the singing competition, one that he promised he would show up in to cheer for her. And… And…

"Where _is _Twin Hills?" The question came out of her lips before she could stop herself.

"Huh? Oh. I don't know either. Torue said he knows where it is, so he would bring us there." Roxas answered. "Isn't this awesome? ! I finally got to see a Keyblade!"

"Yes, it is. But-" But Xion was cut short by Roxas.

"I can hardly wait. It's gonna be the best day of my life forever!" Roxas turned and started to walk down the path. Roxas turned his head and found out that Xion didn't follow him; she stood motionless at the same location. He called out to her, "Hey Xion! You're coming or not!"

Xion snapped out of her thought and replied, "Ya! Coming!" She started to walk down the path after her reply, but she kept a distance from her friend. She need some space to think.

'Should I tell him that the competition was tomorrow? But he was so excited to go to the exhibition. I know that that was one of his wishes, but he promised me to be there when I sing… I don't want to be selfish or anything, he did said that exhibition is one-day only. But should I tell him or not?'

The both of them walked to their school in locked silent, only the sound of the birds and the rustling of the leaves are heard along the whole way.

Xion took her stuffs from her locker and went to her class, not even a saying a word to Roxas. Roxas didn't realize that Xion acted weird either, his mind was only full of the excitement for the exhibition.

Xion kept on wishing that her childhood friend will remembered that tomorrow is the competition and at least gave her a 'good luck' before he went to the exhibition or maybe an apology or something. But her hope was fading away slowly when she saw that Roxas was eating lunch with his History class classmates. She thought Roxas would wait for her when she put her stuffs into her locker, but she didn't expected Roxas to have lunch with someone else and doesn't tell her about it. Xion really wanted to walk towards him and joined him for lunch, but she knew she won't feel comfortable with those other students. In the end, she planned not to bother him, but she can't help but to feel that she was abandoned by her only best friend.

'Only today… After that, everything will back to normal. He will eat with me and Kairi and Riku tomorrow, he will…' she thought to herself and ate her lunch alone at a secluded corner, away from the other student and the one she cares about.

Just then, a figure walked towards her. Thought that it was Roxas, Xion looked up with a smile on her face, but quickly dismissed it when she saw how the figure really is.

"Oh… It's just you, Kellett…" Xion said then turned her gaze but to her lunch, pushing a piece of carrot around with her fork.

"Hello, Xion. May I know why you're sitting alone? Where is Hikari?" Flippe asked her kindly.

Xion sighed then answered, "He's having his lunch with his classmates today." Ever since last Monday, Flippe had been acting very nice towards her and her friends. No more callings, no more 'I-tell-you-Roxas-is-another-devil' topic, only a lot of nice talking. He still have a little of his old self inside him, but so far, he has been acted like a gentleman.

"May I?" Flippe asked as he gestured to the seat in front of her.

Xion blinked twice while looking at him before she got his meaning. "Oh! S-Sure. Go ahead."

"Thank you." Flippe said then sat right across her. Yup. Definitely acted like a gentleman.

Xion continued to push the carrot around silently until she finally stabbed it and inserted it into her mouth then chewed. She looked up to Flippe and saw him having his lunch quietly as well. Why is he here? Even though he has been acting nice towards her, the same disturbing presence still doesn't leave.

"May I know why you're here? I thought you always have lunch with Rasp or your basketball team." Xion asked and inserted a small scoop of rice into her mouth.

Flippe smiled then asked back, "Then may I know why are you looking so depress?"

Xion tensed at his words then quickly relax. "Just some personal stuff, something you don't have to stick your nose into."

Flippe gave her a small nod. "Okay. I won't because you told me so. Anyway, to answer your question, I _am_ going to eat with Rasp and her friends. But then I saw you are sitting here all alone, so I decided to join you."

"And why do you want to join me for lunch instead with your friends?" Xion asked curiously.

Flippe kept on smiling then said, "Well, you are a friend of mine now. And I believe friends keep each other company, don't they?"

"I'm not sure whether we are friends or not, Kellett. But what you said isn't entirely false either…" Xion turned her gaze to Roxas, whose back is facing her and he seems to have a very happy conversation with his classmates.

Flippe followed her gaze before he turned back to face her. "Don't you think he had abandoned you?"

Xion twitched. She did think Roxas kinda abandoned her, but is she really that obvious? "N-No… Instead, I realize I have been selfish, keeping Roxas all to myself during lunchtime. I bet his other friends and classmates wanted to have lunch with him too, so I let him choose who he wanted to have lunch with. After all, I do not own him. He is not an object and will never be treated as one."

Flippe nodded slightly then continued his lunch silently just like Xion for the rest of the remaining lunchtime.

The rest of the day was boring and uneventful, and Roxas still doesn't seems to notice anything strange as he walked out of the front gate laughing happily with the same History classmates after school. Xion stood beside school's front door as she watched him walked away from her without even telling her goodbye. With a sigh, Xion walked to the ice cream store to buy herself a Sea Salt Ice Cream. Today, it would be just herself and her ice cream on the clock tower. And a certain blonde doesn't even know he missed it.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**Friday, the day of the competition**

"Today's the day…" A ravenette said to herself as she circled a date on her calendar with a blue marker. Capped the marker, she placed it back to its original place then turned to her bed, where her school bag and a full plastic bag are placed on. Opening the plastic bag, Xion checked whether or not she remembered to bring everything she needed for the competition.

"Dress… Check! Shoes… Check! Accessories… Check! Make-up set… Check!" Xion said as she placed a small box of make-up set into the plastic bag. She seldom uses make-up, that's why she has a small set, unlike Kairi who has tons of it (more like a collection instead for use). And Namine is already beautiful without those things on her, but she does have a small set like her.

Inserted the plastic bag into her school bag, she gave her room one last look then descended the stairs, into the kitchen.

"Morning, mom." Xion greeted her mother then sat down on her usual spot at the dining table.

"Morning, hon. Aren't you excited? The competition is today. I'm so sorry that I won't be able to come and cheer for you, dear." Mrs. Alicia Zayas, a.k.a Xion and Axel's mom, apologized to her only daughter.

Xion shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, mom. I know you are busy every Friday at that time."

"Are you sure you're fine with it? I could ask my teacher to give me a day of vacation," Mrs. Zayas asked then put the plate of piping hot pancakes topped with strawberry syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream in front of Xion.

Xion kept the smile on her face then said, "I'm sure, mom. My friends would be there to cheer for me. So it's okay."

Xion's mother let out a sigh then said, "Alright, if you said so my dear. But remember, my wishes will stay with you."

Breakfast was the usual, Axel came down, teased each other until one stop or there's a distraction, Roxas came, then go to school. Along the way, Roxas kept on talking about the Keyblade exhibition, how excited he was, how many photos he will take, etc etc. While Xion just smiled and nodded her head softly at each and every words. Secretly, Xion was hopping Roxas would bring up the competition so she don't have to keep fighting with herself whether she should tell him or not. But unfortunately, he didn't and the ravenette wasn't brave enough to remind him either.

School was utterly bored and frustrating as well. Well… Frustrating for our little Xion Zayas that is. Throughout the whole day, the war in her head didn't stop for a minute. But she's sure which side would most likely win in the end.

On her way for lunch, a student told her that her friends, Riku and Kairi, already had their lunch before her due to a slight change in their schedule. He also said that they told him to pass the message to her because they are late for class. That means she would be having her lunch with Roxas only today. Or at least that's what she thought before she entered the canteen and saw Roxas sitting with the same History classmates again! He ditched her again? A pain shot out from her chest.

'No… Remember… Don't be selfish, maybe they sat together to talk about their plan to the exhibition later. Ya… That's it. Nothing else. After today, it'll be normal again… Normal again.' Xion thought to calm her fast beating heart then sat down at the same table she sat yesterday.

Flippe Kellett joined her with lunch once again, but neither of them spoke as they ate. It's like Flippe knew she want silence, so he kept quiet, but joined her with lunch to keep her company, hoping his presence would calm her down faster or let her know someone is there to be with her. And Xion (she hated to admit it) felt that he really is treating her like a friend… A good friend. She always wanted to have friends like that, but to have Flippe Kellett, the playboy, to be a friend is strange. Especially since she had hated him ever since she enrolled into the school. But she might –just might- consider giving him a chance and befriends with him if he is good for good.

For the first time having lunch with someone else without Roxas, she smiled.

It was the last class of the day. Xion wrote down the last sentence from the slideshow into her notebook before placing the pen down. She looked up to look at Roxas, who was jotting down things onto his notebook with a happy smile on his face. Why wouldn't he be happy? In just a few more minutes, it would be the end of school, which means he got to go see a Keyblade like he had always wanted for so many years.

But why is he so clueless about the singing competition? Didn't he see the colorful 'Singing Competition' banner that was posted above the theater's door? Is the exhibition really so important to him than anything else? The hope of Roxas saying 'good luck' or a 'sorry' had crumbled into little tiny pieces. She made up her mind, she won't care about it anymore…

There she stood, in front of a window which is near to the school's front door, watching the students outside with her messenger bag around her shoulder and a plastic bag in hands. She scanned the crowd of students then spotted the one she's looking for. A spiky blonde teen surrounded with a small crowd. He was talking with a brunette next to him as they walked out of the front gate.

Xion shifted her position to get a better view of Roxas's direction, which is a jeep. She watched Roxas's History classmates climbed into the car while Roxas stood in front of it, looking at something in his hands. Xion squinted her eyes and managed to get a glimpse of what he's holding: a piece of paper. But she couldn't see what was written on it. The next thing that happened is Roxas placed the note into his school bag then climbed into the backseat of the jeep then shut the door. The jeep's engine sprung into life then soon, disappeared from her view, bringing her best friend in it.

With one last look at where Roxas stood just a few minutes ago, the ravenette turned away then walked towards the door that led to the backstage. That's all she can do for now…

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**Friday, earlier in the morning**

Somewhere in town, a female was getting ready for the day of her work. She combed her hair with a silver fine-toothed comb then applied thin natural make-up onto her face. Straightened the uniform she wore, she wrapped a piece of cloth around her right arm then picked up her bag.

She walked out of her apartment then locked it behind her. Dropped the house keys into her bag, she looked up to the blue sky before placing a small smirk on her face. Her black boots tapped on the concrete floor as she walked into the empty elevator then clicked the 'G' button.

"Another day, another chance." The woman said as she looked up from the button then looked straight. If anyone were standing outside the elevator, they could see her green eyes gleamed before the elevator doors shut closed.

* * *

**That's all for the chap. Climax is near! Hope you guys are able to catch up with the timeline and all. Hope it wasnt confusing.**

**Chapter 13 would be out when? No idea. I do hope it's before my college's start a new sem. Or I'll end up making another update next 4 months... And I know all of you didnt want that...  
**

**I'm sorry again for such a long update and if you bring a weapon, feel free to hit me with it. if you can catch me! *jumps onto Aqua's keyblade glider* Typing next chap, here I go!  
**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

******Roxas Hikari**

******Axel Zayas**

******Larxene Sekito (since she is mentioned, i just add her in)  
**

******Flippe Kellett (aka Devil)**  


******Alicia Zayas (aka Axel and Xion's mom)  
**

**Namine Kaneko**

**Riku Fukuda**

**Sora Hiranaga**

**Kairi Minami**

******Don't forget a review, or fav, or alert! Thx u! :D  
**


	13. Broken

**... Um... Forgive Me? *bombard by weapons from pissed off readers* Ow... Okay okay... My bad...**

**It is clear as day that I'm the worst among you all. This time, I even updated later than the last time. And yes, your honor. I'm guilty just like last time.  
**

**I realized a lot of people had changed their pen name. So I'll be tying their new one here. Firstly, the people who reviewed in this fic. I'll like to thanks BlendInTheDarkness, arkee, NightfallSky, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, ****violentyetawesome, Takamira, ****emmausgirl94,** Magikbyrd, **Starowner,** LunaClefairy, **amazoness23, KC-Chan13,** **khdayskh1314**, xion, NinjaxSketcheartx, M-North, an anonymous reviewer that stayed up late to review, and rokushi . obesesser! Thank you all!  


******Next is the people who reviewed the previous chapter. Thank you ************emmausgirl94, ********violentyetawesome,** **********amazoness23, ********NinjaxSketcheartx,****************khdayskh1314**, **********KC-Chan13, ****NightfallSky,** ******an anonymous reviewer that stayed up late to review, ********Takamira,********and************rokushi . obesesser! I'm guilty to make you guys wait.**   


**********************************************************************************Thirdly, I would like to thanks the people who fav the story! Thank you, ********emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, Magikbyrd, amazoness23,** SoRoku lover67, ******KC-Chan13,** Animated Music Drawer, ******khdayskh1314**, ******NinjaxSketcheartx,** ShadowofaHeart, moonofwitch, Topaz Miuki, ******rokushi . obesesser** and kingdom hearts lover17!  Love you love you LOVE YOU!  


**********************************************************************************Fourthly, the people who alerts. Thank you ********emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner, khdayskh1314, TheSpiritOfSnow, ********************************************************************************************NinjaxSketcheartx,** AnimeLegalFanGirl, M-North, and Topaz Muiki! Thank you guys! Love ya!  


******************************************************************************************Last but not the least, all the fellow readers! Thank you so much for continue reading even if I'm such a bad updater. Thank you so much for your patience and loyalty!  
**

******************************************************************************************I'll give you back your weapons later. Now, please enjoy the story. Sorry of there is any mistakes or missing words (sometimes fanfiction . net remove them). Enjoy~**

* * *

******************************************************************************************Sing Me A Song  
**

Chapter 13: Broken

"Students, the singing competition would start in just a few more minutes, please proceed to the theater if you would like to watch. As for competitors, please proceed to the backstage and get ready for the competition. I repeat, the singing competition would be starting in a few more minutes. Students please proceed to the theater and competitors to the backstage. That is all," A familiar male voice said, his announcement was heard throughout the school from the speakers.

Kairi, followed closely by Namine, trotted towards the theater's double door which is already crowded with a lot of students. Spotted her friends, she waved to them then stopped by their side. "Sorry for waiting." The redhead told them.

"You sure take a lot of time just for putting on make-up. Why do you need to put it on anyway? *sigh* Come on, we should go in now before the good seats are taken," Riku Fukuda said.

Kairi pouted at her friend then said, "Hello? We are cheering for Xion! We girls have to look good when we cheered for her!"

"You mean 'you need to look good'. You shouldn't include in Namine since you're the one that pulled her into the bathroom with force. Look," Riku gently cupped Namine's left cheek and stroked her cheek with his thumb, making the blonde flushed a bright pink from the sudden loving contact. "She doesn't apply anything on her face and she still looks as beautiful as ever." His words made the blonde blushed even more.

Still pouting, Kairi changed the subject, "Let's go in now. Or else all the good seats would be taken! Come on, Nami!" The redhead grabbed the still blushing blonde by her wrist and pulled her into the theater, leaving the two boys to follow in themselves.

"Why do you look so angry, Kai? You know Riku is just kidding about the 'taking a long time' part. That's just what he's good at," Namine asked her friend after she quickened her pace to walk beside her.

Kairi's pout had disappeared when she turned to see Namine, "I'm not angry at that. I know he is just kidding, even though he sounds so serious and convincing. But… I just… I just wanted **him** to say something to me. But it didn't work like I planned. Oh Nami… He's just too dense!"

"What do you want Sora to say to you?" Namine asked after they spotted a good spot and started to walk towards it. Whenever Kairi said a 'he', she immediately knew who she's referring to.

"Something Riku just said to you…"

After excusing to the seated students, the two girls finally reached their seats and sat down. "Something Riku just told me?" Namine murmured then gasped softly, "You mean…"

Kairi nodded. "That I'm beautiful without any make-up on. You saw it yourself, I didn't apply any make-up on except for eyeliner. He's too dense to realize I like him… Argh… I tried so many times but he just didn't get the message! Stupid Sora!"

"I'm stupid? Why?" A boy voice asked her, caught her slightly off guard.

The two girls turned and saw the boys had arrived. Riku quickly took the seat next to Namine before the boy he spotted walking towards them can take it (He's protective and possessive) and Sora took the empty seat beside Kairi, looking at her with questioning eyes.

"I said you're stupid for failing such an easy math quiz even after I taught you so many times," Kairi lied without flaws, and Sora believed it immediately.

"Come on~ That quiz is easy? It is damn hard!" Sora whined.

"It is hard for you because you must have spent all your time sleeping and excited about the sword fighting competition at home so you don't have time to study," Kairi fought back and Sora kept quiet, because she just hit the bull's eye.

To ease the silence between them, Namine asked, "Um… Have any of you guys seen Roxas? He's going to be late."

Riku shook his head then replied, "We didn't saw him since the school ends."

"Did you guys try calling or texting him?" Kairi asked.

Sora nodded and replied, "We did. But we can't reach him. I guess his phone is either dead or off."

"He will come, right? I mean, Xion is participating in this competition. He won't forget about it, right?" Namine said.

Riku replied, "I think he won't forget about it easily. Let's just hope for the best." Right after he finished, the lights in the noisy theater dims. The competition had started.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"Students, the singing competition would start in just a few more minutes, please proceed to the theater if you would like to watch. As for competitors, please proceed to the backstage and get ready for the competition. I repeat, the singing competition would be starting in a few more minutes. Students please proceed to the theater and competitors to the backstage. That is all," a male voice said through the microphone before switching it off.

Xion was wearing her shoes in the huge changing room when the announcement ended. She pouted angrily then murmured, "Oh~ You just have to make the announcement _after_ Roxas left, don't you Saix? Argh…" After putting on her shoes, Xion walked towards an available full length mirror then looked at herself.

She wore a blue knee length dress with a green ribbon around her waist, a cute bow tied at the back. Her shoe is a pair of sea green colored low-heeled pump and she also wore a simple circle blue pendant around her neck. Satisfied with her overall look, she walked towards the make-up table and started to apply on thin foundation, concealer, a bit of eye shadow, eyeliner and light pink lipgloss. Natural looking, that should do it.

"Competitors, please come and take your number and get ready for the competition." A female staff said in a bored tone as she open the door wider with a box and a clipboard in hand. The competitors who had finished getting ready walked towards the staff and blindly take their number from the box one by one. Soon, it was Xion's turn. Inserted her hand into the box, she turned her hand three times then grabbed the small papers that she touched after she stopped turning. Opened the folded paper, she read out the number written on it, "13…" She sighed. 'Roxas's favorite number…'

"What is your name?" The staff asked boredly.

"Xion Zayas."

For the next few seconds, the staff stood motionless. Curious by the silence, Xion asked, "Ms? Are you okay?"

Just then, the staff twitched then asked, "A-Ah. What? Oh. Sorry, didn't hear you. What's your name again?"

"It's Xion Zayas, Ms…" Xion repeated.

The staff nodded slightly then wrote her name down on the clipboard. "Please proceed to the waiting room. A staff will lead you to your respective seat."

"Okay…" Xion replied then walked out of the changing room. Follow the signs on the wall, she soon reached the waiting room then sit down on her seat after a staff led her to it. The waiting room is a small room which used thick red curtains for two side of the walls (one of the wall are at the side of the stage and one at the front side of the stage) and the other two are made from woods (one is the wall of the back of the stage and the other one is the wall at the side of the stage), able to fit about 25 people along with chairs in it. It was located right next to the stage, well-hidden from the audience and unnoticeable due to the low lighting. There are two doors in the room, one is a wooden door, which she came into the room from the backstage hallway, and another one is a gap between the two curtains that opened directly out to the stage.

Xion craned her neck to look out to the stage, lights from the high ceiling shone down brightly onto the smooth, light brown wooden stage. In the middle of it placed a beautiful black grand piano, gleaming under the white light. Next to the piano is a microphone stand, the wireless microphone on it was adjusted to meet the level of the pianists' lips.

'Soon, I'll be sitting there, playing and singing… *sigh* I wish Roxas was here… I wonder what he'll say when he realized he missed the competition,' Xion thought and think of the possible answer what Roxas would do to apologize to her. Maybe buying ice cream? A free movie night? Or just repeating the word 'sorry' again and again until she forgives him? A smile spread on her face. She's actually looking forward to that moment to come.

Just then, she felt a presence beside her. Turned her head to the right, she eyes widened in shock. Sitting beside her is no other than Natalie Rasp herself.

Her golden hair was curled and accessorized with a sparkling green leaf shaped hairclip. She wore a long V neck apple green dress that ended above her knees, showing off her sparkling green high heels. She wore a blue bracelet around her right wrist and a pair of red heart shaped earrings. Her makeup was simple but she noticed it was applied a bit too thick. Greenish blue eye shadow, black eyeliner, mascara, a little blush on the cheeks and bright red lipstick. She looked like a green apple, but overall, she was beautiful.

Recovered from the shock, she asked softly, "Rasp, you're number 12?"

The blond turned her head to the voice then inspected Xion's clothes: Cheap looking dress, fake-looking necklace, cheap make-up, no styling hair and low-heeled pumps? She giggled softly. She thinks her high heels are 100% more beautiful than those pumps. Needless to say, she's certain that she won the 'looks' category between the two of them. A wide satisfied smile spread on her face. "My my… Isn't it Zayas. Yes, I'm number 12. You got a problem with that, witch?"

Okay~ What's with the sudden change from good to her bad old self? "N-No… I just didn't expect it." Being hurt and depressed about Roxas's forgotten about the competition, Xion ignored the calling. She wasn't in the mood to fight with her anyway. The last thing she wants is going out on stage with scratches or messy hair or anything that proved she just had a catfight.

Natalie smiled evilly and purposely brought up the topic, "So, is my little Roxy boy here?" Xion rolled her eyes when she heard what she called Roxas as. "No. He went to a history exhibition with his History classmates just now."

"I see… Too bad. I thought I can kiss him when I win this competition. It seems like I have to do that tomorrow then," Natalie said and flipped her lock, nearly hit Xion in the face. Xion stayed quiet, the scene of the two of them kissed last time came back into her mind. A pain shot out in her chest and her stomach going sick too. Why does Natalie just have to act like this now? She's making her very uncomfortable… And what happened to the 'angel side' of her she saw this past two weeks? Is all that an act? Or… Xion quickly shook her head. She don't want to think about that now, she should concentrate on the competition. Everything else doesn't matter for now.

Let out a deep breath, Xion closed her eyes and listened to the talking MC. The competition had started.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"That is Minato Yoize from Grade 11. Now, let's welcome Number 12, Natalie Rasp who's also from Grade 11!" said the MC, followed by a loud applause from the audience.

Xion looked up from her shoes when she heard the announcement. 'That was quick.' She was now sitting at the front row, because after the competitors had finished singing, they are told to wait in the changing room until the results are out and the 3 winners will be announced.

Xion turned to look at Natalie, who gave Xion a last evil smile before she stood up from her seat and walked out to the center stage like the 'rich princess' she is. Then she stopped under the bright spotlight. She put on her sweetest fake smile and bowed elegantly to the audience.

"Ms. Rasp, what is the song you will be singing today?" One of the judges asked her.

"Mrs. Fair. Today, I'll be singing one of my original works. The name of the song is 'Planet Earth'. I would like to sing it to remind everyone that Earth is important to us and we should cherish it," Natalie said innocently to the judge, who nodded her head then wrote down something onto the paper before her.

Xion gasped in pure shock when Natalie mentioned the song's name. Could it be? No. It couldn't be. But… Xion stood up and quickly walked to the curtain gap that leads to the stage. The staff told her to sit down, but she couldn't. She won't. Not until she gets the answer she wants.

Natalie gave another bow to the audience and sat down in front of the grand piano. She took a deep breath and played the song. The intro, the melody, it was too familiar to her.

Xion kept listening, the melody of the first verse began and Natalie started to sing.

_As the sun paints the town in amber,_

_A bird flew by with a piece of apple,_

_And when you think that you've seen it all,_

_You don't realize you're very small._

W-Wait! Those lyrics! It was **her** song! Her 'Planet Earth'! Why is Rasp singing it? ! Why? ! H-How? ! W-Where? ! WHAT IN THE WORLD? !

Xion stared at Natalie with wide, shocked eyes. That witch! That Yellow-Eyed Witch is singing the song she had worked so hard with Roxas! The song she worked so hard for a month! All the melody, the lyrics echoed mercilessly in her ears. No… No! That is her song! It should be her to be the one who sing it, not anyone else, especially not by _her_! Not by _her_!

_See the sun and see the moon,_

_See the stars shine down upon you._

_And that is when you'll realizes,_

_That you're living in… a… paradise…_

Natalie was singing the bridge of the song already. That blasted innocent look still pasted on that damned face of hers. Xion was burning with rage and curiosity, but mostly rage towards a certain blonde teenage girl that she wanted to kill. She wanted to marched right towards her and send a punch towards her face for stealing her song so bad it hurts. But her legs wouldn't obey; instead they turned into jelly and caused her to slide onto the floor. But her eyes still glued on the Yellow-Eyed Witch.

_Planet Earth, the only place we live,_

_Planet Earth, the only thing we need to dream._

Xion covered her ears. Tears started rolled down her cheeks in a fast pace. The song was torturing her. She can't take it anymore! "No… No! No! Stop it! Stop!" Xion screamed. Every competitor that was left in the waiting room and staffs turned to look at the girl who was on the floor, trembling non-stop while sobbing.

_Hmm… Hmm…_

_Planet Earth is all… I… need…_

Natalie ended Xion's original songs and got all the credits, cheers and applauses to herself. She walked back to the center stage and gave a last bow to the audience. She gave the audience a slight wave with her hand while she's walking back to the waiting room. Right after she left the stage and stepped into the room, Natalie looked down at the sobbing ravenette with guiltless eyes. Gave her an evil smirk, the blonde removed her gaze from the girl on the floor then exited the room, towards the changing room.

Xion panted heavily as hot tears continued to run down her cheeks like waterfalls. The music torture had ended, but she has no other songs to sing. She couldn't think of any song in these next few seconds! Even if she did, she doesn't have time to prepare! It seems like she lost, before she even got the chance to compete in the competition.

Xion kept on panting until a female staff walked up to her. "Hey, you alright?"

The ravenette looked up and saw that it was the same blonde staff that gave them the number back in the changing room. Chocked back a sob, Xion placed her head back down then shook her head.

"I'm not. My… My sickness is happening again. I won't be able to join the competition… Please help me tell the MC that I'm out…" Xion lied and said softly to the staff with the rest of her energy.

"I see… I'll tell the MC about this and I'll bring you to the sick bay to rest," The blonde said then turn and about to leave. Xion quickly tugged her shirt and said, "No need to the sick bay. I'll just go home after I change…"

The staff casted the teen an emotionless gaze (with a tint of pity) and nodded her head. Xion whispered a 'thanks' and let go of her shirt. The female staff exited the room after that.

"Now, let's welcome Number 13, Xi-! I'm sorry. Yes? It is true? Oh. Okay then. I'm sorry to tell you all this, but Ms. Xion Zayas was suffering from a sickness and is unable to join us today. And so, she is disqualified for this competition! Now, let's welcome Number 14, Luke Hendrel and his twin, Lloyd Hendrel from Grade 12!" The MC announced and applauses were given to the duet.

Xion slowly stood up to her feet then staggered back to the changing room. Right after she closed the door, she turned around and was about to send death glare to the witch when she realized she was nowhere in sight.

"Argh… Just my damn bad luck…" Xion murmured under her breath then walked into one of the empty changing cubicles and changed back to her uniform. When she was about to take her bag and went home, she saw a piece of paper tucked out from between the zippers. Xion opened the paper curiously and found out it was a note from… Roxas Hikari. It wrote:

_Meet me in the woods now. I have something to tell you._

_From: Roxas Hikari_

Roxas? This note is from Roxas? Isn't he going to the exhibition in what-that-town-called-again, Twin Hills? How did he send this note to her? Reread the note, Xion realized it is really his handwriting. "Roxas… W-What is going on?" Stuffed the note into her bag, the ravenette quickly left the school through the back door of the theater, running towards the dirt path to the woods.

'Meet me in the woods now.' is what Roxas had written. She knew what he meant. The tree house. Roxas wanted to meet her in their tree house and tell her something. But… What is it? What is he going to tell her? The truth? The truth that he and Natalie is really dating? Or apologize about forgetting the competition? No. If he remembered, he would just join Kairi and the others and watch her sing. There's no need to send her a note. Why did he send her this note? Why? And how too? Only competitors are allowed in. How did he get in?

Pushed herself through the thick bushes and low branches, Xion finally reached the tree where their tree house was built on. What surprised her most was the white ladder that descended down from the thick tree leaves above. Someone is up there. Is it Roxas?

Xion ran towards the ladder and looked up. She didn't see anyone near the entrance, but she felt a presence up there. And it didn't feel right… Grabbed hold of the ladder, Xion climbed up in a steady speed. When she reached the top, she pushed herself in and stood onto her feet. In front of her stood a teen, not just any teen, but a blonde teen.

Xion blinked in both anger and confusion then yelled, "What in the world are you doing here? ! Aren't you supposed to be in the school right now, thief? !"

Natalie Rasp turned her body from the decorated shelf to face Xion with a wicked smirk on her face. "I didn't steal your song, witch. It's my Roxy boy. He gave me that song and the music sheet without you knowing."

Xion tried her best to muffle her laugh before saying, "That is the worst excuse I have ever heard in my life. Just admit it, Rasp! Don't blame all this on Roxas! He has nothing to do with all of this! This is between the two of us, so don't pull him in!"

"Is he not? He has everything to do with this, witch. He's the reason why you lose the first competition," Natalie said.

"Do you really expect me to believe that my best friend betrayed me for a lowlife like you? We two know he would never do such a thing; you gotta do better than that to make me believe such lies!" Xion spat.

Natalie chuckled and said, "Then where is he now? A Keyblade exhibition? There's not even a town called 'Twin Hills'. He is escaping from you, Zayas. He used that as an excuse for not coming to the competition."

Xion flinched then retorted, "Maybe his friends messed the name up, that doesn't prove he is escaping from m-. Wait… How do you know about he is going to an exhibition?"

Natalie smirked even wider then said, "I thought you already knew that we are a couple. I thought Flippe told you that already."

"Oh, he told me about that alright." _'More like showing it to me…' _

"That's how I know he is going to an exhibition. Oh, sorry. I mean, an exhibition that doesn't even exist! Just get the information into your head, witch. Roxas is escaping from you, he doesn't want to watch you sing in the competition, he doesn't want to be your friend anymore, cause you are useless to him now!" Natalie said.

Xion shook her head. "N-No! He won't do such a thing to me! You're lying! You better shut your lying mouth it before I shut it for you!"

"Oh for god's sake! Is he the one that told you to join the competition? Yes! That's because he want to steal your work and give it to me! I had warned you to stay away from my boyfriend, but no~ You won't listen. You got this onto yourself, Zayas!" Natalie continued. "Doesn't your music sheets disappeared after you guys finish it? He stole it from your bag in school and gave it to me. He wants me to win. He had that planned in his mind from the first time he told you to join the competition. And he told me about this… this small wooden box." Natalie gave the tree house a disapproving look before she made eye contact with Xion again. "Aren't you curious yet? How I get to this place?"

"H-how…?"

"Remember that 'X' on the tree trunk? Roxas craved that for me. That 'X' told me that this tree is where this tree house is and Roxy also told me how to get up here. Don't you get it now, Zayas? He used you, he told me all the secrets between you two and he is cutting the friendship string between you and him. He doesn't want to be with you anymore!" Natalie told her.

Xion bit her upper lip. She won't believe her! "That 'X' is just a coincidence!"

"Coincident my face! What else do you think that 'X' is for? Don't be so stupid, Zayas!"

"Roxas said that some kids must have craved it so they won't get lose in the woods!"

"Roxas Roxas Roxas. You still believe what he told you? He lied, you idiot! He's covering up the real reason of the 'X'. Do you think some kids really made that? Use your head sometime!" Natalie yelled.

Suddenly, things started to clink in her mind. Her anger ceased and fear took over. "No… No… He wouldn't…" Xion whispered.

Natalie shook her head and said, "You're still denying it? He did all those just to let me win! He doesn't care about you at all!"

"He won't do such a thing to me! I-I… I trust him… I-I LIKE HIM!" Xion screamed and sank down to her knees. She likes him… She likes Roxas… No… She loves Roxas… She finally understand why her heart ached all the time something bad happened to him, when he holds her hand, when she saw him kissed Natalie and when he 'forgotten' about the competition. He had her heart all along.

Natalie gasped softly when she heard her confession of Roxas. She does like him…

Natalie frowned and thought, 'I won't lose. I will break her heart into pieces and Roxas will be mine forever!'

"That's what he wants! He wants you to trust him, like him, give him anything. That's how he was able to get the lyric and music sheets from you. Stop being such a fool, Zayas! He is only using your feeling, playing with it until you break!" Natalie told the black haired girl.

Xion chocked back a sob. She refused to shed tears in front of her enemy, especially since she just cried awhile back in school. "He is not like that… We have been friends since little…"

Natalie snorted and said, "People changed, Zayas. He did and will never change back. If you didn't want to get used again, I suggest you to stay away from him –no. **Us**.- forever."

Xion flinched at the blonde's sentence. It made sense now. A lot of it. What Flippe meant when he said Roxas is using her and will throw her away when she's useless, what the 'X' is really for, why her music sheet disappeared and how, why Roxas stopped her from looking for the music sheet, why Flippe called Roxas the other 'devil', why he seems to forgotten about the competition, and why he left without saying goodbye or a sorry. It all made sense now… He's the puppeteer and she's the puppet whose strings had been cut. And she can do nothing but to watch him walk away with someone else as she lay there, useless.

"Oh. By the way." Xion looked up to Natalie, who was standing in front of the shelf. In her right hand, held two seashells, a blue and a pink.

Xion's eyes widened then she asked, "W-What… What are you going to do to them?"

Natalie smirked then said, "Just watch." The next thing Xion knew, Natalie lifted her hand high up to the air then swung it down with a lot of force.

"N-NO!"

The sound of breaking seashells echoed mercilessly in Xion's ears as she watched the seashells made contact with the hard wooden floor and broke. The small pieces scattered across the floor. Xion stared at the broken pieces for a full minute before she stumbled towards them and fell onto her knees, tried to collect them up. "No… No… Our seashells… No…"

Natalie walked towards the tree house entrance with a satisfied smirk on her face before saying, "Just so you know, Roxas told me to do that. Those broken seashells represent the friendship bond between the two of you. It is broken, and will never ever be able to mend it back." Natalie switched her smirk with a fake smile then said, "Well then, see you back in school, loser." With that, Natalie climbed down the ladder and left the tree house.

Gathered all the broken pieces in her hand, Xion let her teardrops fall. She can't believe it. Not only Roxas had broken her heart, he also broken the seashells she treasured the most. Why does he have to do such despicable thing? "Why Roxas…? Why…?" Xion sat there and cried softly until a scent met her nose.

It smells like… Perfume? Xion looked to the source of the scent and saw a dark stain on the tree house's wood floor. 'What is this?' Xion looked around the tree house and saw more similar dark stains. On the floor, wall, even the ceiling. "Why…?" Suddenly, another scent entered her nostrils.

S-Smoke?!

Jumped onto her feet, Xion rushed to the entrance and looked down. She found the source of the smoke. The ladder. The ladder is on fire! How? ! On the ground, stood a smirking Natalie with an empty perfume bottle in one hand and a lighter in another. Xion immediately knew what happened. Perfume, especially cheap one, contained flammable liquid and thus caused the ladder on fire. Natalie must have sprayed the perfume onto the rope while climbing down. She must have poured the same thing in the tree house too.

"Rasp! What the hell you set the rope on fire for? !" Xion yelled.

Natalie kept on smirking then replied, "So you won't get in my way. See ya, and I'm not gonna miss ya. Hahahaha!" With that, Natalie walked away, ignoring Xion's calling to her.

"Rasp! Rasp! Damn…" Xion shouted then retreated back into the tree house when a big puff of smoke hit her in the face. Swiped the smoke clear from her face, Xion looked at the entrance where smoke is entering the tree house. If the fire continues and with the help of the perfume stains in the woods, it might burn the whole tree house down. And her along with it.

"Oh my god… Oh my god… What should I do?" Xion started to panic as she scanned around the tree house for something to use and her brain is searching for any way to stop the fire and save herself. She can escape if she climbed onto the top part of the ladder (where the fire hasn't reached) then leaped onto the tree trunk and climbed down to the ground. But she will not do that. There is no way in hell she would let the tree house left in flame, even though now she hate Roxas, the tree house is still one of the few places she treasured the most. If she can't save it, then she'll die with it.

"Water!" The ravenette quickly opened her bag and took out her water bottle, only to let out a frustrated groan. It was empty! "Oh god!" She shouted then threw the bottle across the room. Xion dumped all of her bag's content onto the floor then fumbled around it, tried to find something that can be useful. "Come on… Co-" Suddenly, a loud creak caused Xion to jump out of her skin. She quickly turned around and looked at the entrance, where more smoke came in, but this time, she saw a quick flicker of a fire. The creaking is from the wood of the tree house! If she doesn't do anything soon, it will catch on fire!

"Oh my god… Oh my god… Oh my god…" Xion took a few steps backwards then her legs suddenly gave in from the fear, caused her to fall onto the floor for the second time if the day. But that didn't stop her from continue retreating away from the fire. There's no water, no sand, no wet rag or a fire extinguish here that she can use to put out the fire. And none of the things here are useable, the board games wouldn't do anything, so was the decorations on the shelf. She can't use the beanbags as well, she's sure they won't be anything good too.

Staring at the red dancing fire that is slowly climbing its way up to the tree house, there's only one thing in Xion's mind:

'Is this how it's gonna end?'

* * *

**That's the end of this chap. Sorry if it is too shot for your taste, sorry... Ya. This is suppose to be part of the climax, but I believe i didnt really do a good job on it... Oh. Btw, I'll be splitting chap 14 into two parts, so chap 14 and 15 will be part of the climax. **

**My next semester is shorter, so I might be able to update earlier. IMPORTANT!: And also, as a sorry. I'll publish a one-shot story in the near future. And I would like to know the majority, do you guys want 'Pasta Love' or 'Urge for Ice Cream'? Please see my profile for more info of the stories.  
**

**Here's your weapons back. You can attack me with it, if you can catch me! Demyx, now!  
**

**Demyx: *opening a dark corridor and I run into it* Oh yeah~ I'm finally in the story!  
**

**Axel: It's only in the AN part... Not really the story.  
**

**Demyx: What? ! Nagira tricked me! *pout*  
**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Natalie Rasp  
**

**Namine Kaneko**

**Riku Fukuda**

**Sora Hiranaga**

**Kairi Minami**

**********Don't forget a review, or fav, or alert! Thx u! :D**  


**********Demyx: Where's my full name? *throwing a tantrum*  
**

**********Axel: *sigh while shaking head*  
**


	14. Bundle of Feelings and Emotions

***takes in deep breaths* Okay... Okay... I can do this... *Show up* Hello beloved readers! I'm back for a long awaited update! So sorry for not updating for like um... 8 months? Hahahaha... So sorry. The school really killed me. I hope this story of 8435 words can make it up. Sorry again! **

**I'll like to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness, arkee, NightfallSky, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, ****violentyetawesome, Takamira, ****emmausgirl94, **Magikbyrd, **Starowner,** LunaClefairy, **amazoness23, KC-Chan13,** **khdayskh1314**, xion, NinjaxSketcheartx, M-North, an anonymous reviewer that stayed up late to review, Riley-Hell's-Princess, Easy2Hurt, Topaz Miuki, KeyToOblivion, PooperScooper000 and Random Reader for reviewing in this story! Thank you all! I hope I didn't missed anyone out.  


**Next is the people who reviewed the previous chapter. Thank you amazoness23, Easy2Hurt, NinjaxSketcheartx, violentyetawesome, Topaz Muiki, KeyToOblivion, khdayskh1314, emmausgirl94, Riley-Hell's-Princess, KC-Chan13, Takamira, PooperScooper000 and Random Reader! Sorry for making you guys wait.  
**

**Thirdly, I would like to thank the people who fav the story! Thank you, ********emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, Magikbyrd, amazoness23, JohnKat** lover67, ******KC-Chan13,** Animated Music Drawer, ******khdayskh1314**, ******NinjaxSketcheartx,** ShadowofaHeart, moonofwitch, Topaz Miuki, Easy2Hurt, kingdom hearts lover17, PooperScooper000 and ForgivenPromises! LOVE YOU!  


**Fourthly, the people who alerts. Thank you ********emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner, khdayskh1314, Riley-Hell's-Princess, TheSpiritOfSnow, ********************************************************************************************NinjaxSketcheartx,** RavenGoesToHeaven, M-North, Topaz Muiki, Maethorelen, Purple Shadow Wolf, PooperScooper, HeartsMockingjay and FirePhoniex12! Thank you guys!   


**Last but not the least, all the fellow readers! Thank you so much for continuing reading. Thank you so much for your patience and loyalty!**

**Sorry for any mistakes in the story. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Sing Me A Song**

Chapter 14: Bundle of Feelings and Emotions

As number 12 exited the stage. Kairi and her gang couldn't believe what they just heard.

"Oh my… Rasp made an original song? I didn't think she actually has the skills to do that. I thought she only has the skills of a… a…" Kairi muttered, unable to find the right word to describe who she thinks Natalie Rasp really is in her eyes.

"A bully?" Namine asked.

"A hooker?" Riku added, who earned an 'ew…' from his girlfriend.

Kairi shook her head then said, "No. And that's a very gross word, Riku. I believe, she is a self-centered-good-for-nothing-spoiled-rich-teenag e-girl. Ya. That is who she is. Used her sweet talks and 'cute' looks to make those poor students do her dirty job. And she's a liar, act innocent and and… God. Now I think that more words are needed to fully describe who she is."

"It's okay, Kairi. All we need to know is that she is a bad person," Sora said then patting Kairi's back to calm her down. She's scary when she's angry.

Kairi let out a huge sigh then nodded her head slightly. "Ya. Xion would kick her butt for me in this competition anyway." They turned their attention back to the MC who began to speak. "Now, let's welcome Number 13, Xi-! I'm sorry. Yes? It is true? Oh. Okay then. I'm sorry to tell you all this, but Ms. Xion Zayas was suffering from a sickness and is unable to join us today. And so, she is disqualified for this competition! Now, let's welcome Number 14, Luke Hendrel and his twin, Lloyd Hendrel from Grade 12!" The MC announced and applauses were given to the duet, but none of the applauses came from the little group.

"Xi-Xion is…. Disqualified? !" Namine almost screamed.

"Impossible. Xion is great in health. There's no way she is out due to a 'sickness'." Riku stated while hugging Namine to calm her down from the unexpected and shocking news.

Kairi stares out blankly. The news struck her hard, Xion was unable to perform? Is she alright? During lunch, Xion didn't show up like she said and so she and Riku have to eat alone without her and Roxas. And speaking of Roxas. He didn't show up to cheer for Xion either and they weren't able to contact his cell phone. Something is wrong, but what? Since the lunch event, she can't help but felt a disturbing feeling. 'Could this be the bad feeling I have been feeling all day? I-I… I have to find out!' Kairi stood up from her seat and started to walk to the nearest path, excusing everyone in their seats as she passed.

"Kai. Where're you going?" Sora hissed loudly to her, but not loud enough to disturb the other audience.

"I'm going to look for Xion and Roxas. Something is wrong and I want to know what it is!" Kairi answered and ran up the stairs to go to the theater's main door above.

"K-Kairi. Wait!" Sora too, stood up and followed close behind his redhead friend. Once Namine had calmed down, she decided to join Kairi and Sora, and Riku said nothing else but 'me too'. He's worried too. Xion is like a little sister to him and after seeing how his girlfriend reacted to the news just now, he would do anything to see her happy and cheerful again, and not clouded with fear and hurts. Holding her hand affectionately in his, the couple exited the theater and met up with Kairi and Sora, who are standing in front the door to the back stage, which is blocked by Lexaeus, the head of the school's securities and the quietest one.

"No one other than the staffs of the theater and contestants can enter. You all shall not pass," The tall, muscular auburn-haired man said emotionlessly.

"But, Mr. Lexaeus. My friend, a contestant, is inside and the MC just announced that she fell sick! I must go check on her! Please!" Kairi plead him. But the security only shook his head. Kairi pouted and used her puppy eyes, but those didn't work for the massive security. The redhead groaned in anger and stomped on the ground a few times as she walked a few steps away from Mr. Lexaeus, who still have the emotionless look on his face.

This is getting nowhere and they all knew that. They couldn't sneak in, nor using the door from the side of the stage (since there is a competition going on), nor using the back door, which can only open from the inside unless you have the key. So, Sora offered, "Mr. Lexaeus, what can I give you in change of the access to the back stage? Anything you want?"

Lexaeus raised an eyebrow, showed interest in the brunette's offer; however, he quickly dismissed it. "Sorry, but as a security, I'm against such bribery, especially from a student."

"B-But-" Sora tried to convince the man before him to change his mind, but the look from Lexaeus eyes shut him up.

Namine walked up to the guard and spoke, "Please, Mr. Lexaeus. Just hear us out f-"

Before Namine could finish her sentence, another female voice interrupted, "MR. LEXAUES~!"

The gang, including the silent security guard, turned towards the voice and saw the source. Came running towards them was a group of trio: a brunette girl dressed in orange tank top with white Hawaii-like floral design at the bottom, beige-coloured capri pants, cream coloured shoes with orange socks and accessories with a blue beaded bracelet and a sky blue spherical charm necklace.

Not far behind her is a spiky blonde hair boy dressed in a black muscle shirt decorated with a white, crudely-drawn skull and crossbones, a short sleeveless, grey vest and baggy camouflage-print capris pants, finished with camouflage-print shoes, a yellow 'X' necklace and a brown bracelet with silver pins.

A boy who tried to catch up with his friends is a short, plump black-haired boy. He wears a short-sleeved, white shirt with dark cuffs underneath a red jersey decorated with a black silhouette of a seemingly skeletal dog with three bones above it and the phrase 'Dog Street' printed next to it in large, white letters. He also wears blue pants, shoes and a purple bandana around his neck.

Sora recognized them, he had seen them hang out before in Twilight Town and the blonde boy had even participated in the Struggle tournament last year (which sadly he lost after he dueled with Roxas. Riku? Nah, he didn't join. Not his kind of fighting, he said.).

The girl is called, Olette Yasashi. The blonde boy is called, Hayner Kettei and the last boy is called, Pence Kashiko.

The trio came closer to them, and then Sora's gang realized the box in Olette's hand.

"Mr. Lexaeus. Here's the 1000 piece puzzle you want so much," Olette said then handed the box to the security. What the brunette said shocked the gang slightly; they have no idea that a security guard so huge and quiet actually likes puzzles.

"Ah. Thank you very much for buying it for me, Ms. Yasashi. I would have bought it myself if I know where I can find it," Lexaeus said and accepted the puzzle box, scanned the box's cover with excitement.

"You can just call me Olette, Mr. Lexaeus. And you're welcome." Just then, she noticed the other 4 students other than her and her friends. "Who are you guys?"

"Uh… We-" Sora stuttered but the blonde guy cuts in. "Hey! I know you! You and the other spiky blonde kid joined the Struggle competition last year!" Hayner said while pointing his index finger at Sora. "You're that Sora guy isn't it?"

"Uh… Ya. I am. The name's Sora Hiranaga. You're?" Sora introduced himself and held out his hand, which Hayner accepted in a firm handshake.

"I'm Hayner Kettei. The girl is Olette and the fat one there is Pence."

That made Pence kind of unhappy, "I can introduce myself Hay, thank you very much. My name is Pence Kashiko. If you have any problems or question about computers or Twilight Town, I'm the one you need."

"And if you need someone to buy you ice-cream if you're the winner of a race, he's the one you need too," Hayner stated.

Pence just sweat dropped while Olette told Hayner to stop teasing Pence for a while.

"So, why are you guys here? I thought most people would be watching the competition by now," Olette asked them.

"A competitor, also a friend of ours, fell sick before she can even participate. We want to check on her, but this security just won't let us through," Kairi replied and pointed her index finger at the silent security guard.

"OMG! That's serious. Mr. Lexaeus, please let them pass. All they want is just to check on their friend." The brunette girl pleads him.

"I'm sorry that I can't do that. It's my duty to keep everyone other than staff and competitors from going in."

"B-But…." Suddenly, her eyes went serious. "Mr. Lexaues, if you won't let them pass, I'll have no choice but to tell you to triple or even quadruple pay the cost of the puzzle to me. If you let them pass, it's for free!" The deal was quickly made by Olette and it is a deal that sparks Lexaues's interest to the max.

"For real?"

Olette nodded.

The silent guard gave Sora's gang a minute long gaze, his mind working. 'If I let them through, I can save the money for the puzzle. That cheap old boss already pays us low salary, I guess it would be okay just for this one time… It's not like Saix is anywhere near here to report to boss…' Then he spoke, "Can't believe I would say this…. Fine. You guys can go in, just don't tell anybody bout this or else."

Everyone's eyes sparkled with joy when they heard that. "Thank you!" Kairi thanked him and quickly pushed open the door and entered the backstage; she couldn't lose another minute to make sure Xion is alright.

Since Kairi have been the backstage before, she knew where she was going: the changing room. There's where Xion is most likely to be. Soon, she reached the changing room and ran in. "Xion! Eh?" Scanned her eyes around the area, she didn't spot the certain ravenette.

"She's… not here?" The redhead stood there, stunned.

Footsteps of her friends soon caught up with her and halt when they saw her just standing there.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" Riku asked.

"Xion. She's not here."

"What?" The rest of them peered into the room and true enough, their black haired friend was nowhere to be seen.

"She got to be here somewhere. How bout we split up and find her?" Riku suggested. They all agreed and split up, promised to meet up in the same place after 10 minutes. Kairi went to check the changing room more thoroughly, knocking on closed changing cubicles and later went to check the girl's toilet. Namine checked rooms after rooms, which all appeared to be empty, except for a few tables, chairs, ropes and things she have no idea what they are.

On the other hand, Sora went to check the waiting room, where some candidates still waiting for their turn, but Xion wasn't there. After that, he decided to check the sick bay. Outside of the door, the security guard Lexaeus was organizing the puzzle pieces with Olette. The other two guys were nowhere to be seen. Letting Lexaeus know he need to go to the sick bay and back again, he quickly ran there, but the finding was fruitless. Riku had thought that there's no reason for Xion to hide, so he decided to ask the staffs and candidates for any clue of where she might be. He didn't get the answer he was looking for until he asked a blonde female staff.

"A female candidate with short black hair? Oh. There is one. Xion Zayas. Number 13, right?"

Riku nodded his head. "Do you know where she is?"

"Hm… I did offer to bring her to the sick bay, but she denied. She said she would just go home. I think she should already left by now."

A smile appeared on his face. Finally, they know where Xion is. "Thank you, Ms…"

"…Sekito."

"Thank you, Ms. Sekito. And please excuse me, I have to inform my friends." Riku pardoned himself from the staff then left to find his friend. In front of the changing room stood Kairi and Namine, concern shown clearly on their faces. Kairi was the first to notice him advancing towards them. "Riku! Any news?"

"Yes. One of the staff said that she offered to bring Xion to the sick bay-" Riku was unable to finish his line when Namine cut in.

"Then she must be there! Let's go now!"

"No. She isn't." Another familiar male voice said, which turned out to be Sora, walking from the direction of the entrance door towards them. "I just came back from there. She wasn't there either."

"T-Then… Where is she?" Namine asked.

"Babe, calm down. I haven't finished just now," Riku said and landed a comforting kiss on her head. "The staff said Xion went home. She must have left since we can't find her here."

"Really?" The other 3 asked him.

"Yup."

"That's a relief to know where she is. But is she alright?" Kairi wondered.

"Call her."

Kairi turned to the brunette. "What?"

"Call her. She has a cell phone, right? We can just call her to ask whether she is alright or not." Sora stated.

"OMG…. I can't believe we didn't think of that in the first place. Thanks Sor." The redhead said and took out her own cell phone, calling Xion's number. When the beeping started, Kairi set the phone to speaker and held it out, so all her friends can hear and talk with Xion. The beeping sound goes on for another 10 beeps before someone from the other side answered.

"*sniff* H-Hello? *sniff*" A trembling voice spoke.

"Xion? Xion is that you? Are you alright? Are you crying?" Namine asked.

"*sob* N-Nami? *sniff*"

"Yes, Xion. Is me. In fact, Kai, Sor and Rik are also here. We're all here. Are you alright Xion? Why are you crying?" Namine asked again.

The soft sobbing continued before Xion finally spoke, "I-I… I'm just… *sniff* I'm just so dis-disappointed… *sniff*"

"It's alright, Xion. This is only the first competition, you still can join the second one. Please don't cry," Kairi tried to comfort her.

"*sob* It's n-not only the com-competition… *sniff* It's…. It's…. *sniff*" The sobbing started to get louder.

"Xion, are you at home now? We'll come right no-" Riku was once again cut off.

"NO! Please don't! *sniff*" Unexpectedly, Xion yelled.

"X-Xion…" The gang of 4 whispered.

"*sniff* I… I need some time alone. *sniff* Please…. Don't come… Please… *sob*"

This was the first time any of Xion's friends heard her in such vulnerable, sad and broken voice. She's always so energetic, so full-of-life, and sometime shy in a cute way. As they hear her sobs and sniffs, they knew she was hurt really deeply, that it caused her to let the feeling spilled out. Her soft sob was so heartbroken that they (mostly the girls, since girls are more emotional) can feel their own heart cracked.

Kairi was the one who broke the sobbing silence, "We understand. But please Xion, call us when you feel better or when you need us. We all are so worried about you, you know we care about you."

The answer from Xion is soft, but they could make out the word 'Um…' between the sobs.

"We hope to hear from you soon. See ya, Xion." Sora said. Another almost inaudible 'um…' came from the ravenette from the other side of the phone before the line went dead. The gang of 4 stood there, staring at the phone with a disconnected call, having no idea what to do next.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song ~*~*~

**(A.N: Onward to Roxas's side! Hope you guys able to catch up with the whole timeline. If not, you just have to reread the previous chapters. Sorry 'bout that.)**

**Roxas's Side of the Story**

**Wednesday, two days till competition countdown**

The start of the day was usual, unlike any other. Roxas would walk to Xion's place to pick her up and they both walked to school together. The morning classes were fine for him, but he felt kind of uncomfortable during History class for some reason, and he wasn't in the mood to find out why, thought that it's just the girls again.

After the sword fighting class, and a quick shower, he meets up with all his friends in the canteen for the first and final time of the week.

"Isn't it fast? The singing competition is just two days away!" Kairi said excitedly.

Sora nodded then added, "And the sword fighting competition is in a week's time. Man! I wanna slash my sword at those opponents! They are no match for me!"

Roxas couldn't help but chuckled at Sora's childish-like confidence, "Don't be so sure, Sora. Remember, Cloud Strife is going to join this year. And only one of us will have the chance to duel with him."

"So? I'll beat him! I'll be the one who would duel with him! I'll defeat that spiky-head!" Sora exclaimed with determination.

"You're the spiky-head," Riku said with a small smile on his face.

Sora turned to Riku then said, "So you're saying I can't beat him, aren't you, Riku?"

Riku simply nodded, which caused Sora's face to heat up and only reddened even more when Riku added, "I don't even think you would stand a chance to duel with him."

"Don't underestimate me, Riku. I'll defeat him for real. Why don't we make a bet, whoever beats Cloud Strife, will get 500 munny from the loser. What do you say, Riku?" Sora (stupidly) suggested the deal.

Riku's smile grew larger as he heard the amount of the 'prize', "You got yourself a bet, my friend. Ready to hand over the cash."

"What if none of you win?" Namine asked the two boys who are sending daggers through their glare.

"There's no need to worry about that, hon. One of us is going to win, and it's going to be me." Riku said and wrapped his arm around Namine's waist, pulling her closer to him. Riku sure has no problem showing his affection to Namine, he doesn't care who sees and what they say. All he needs is just Namine. "After all, I have you there to cheer for me."

"No~ It's going to be me." Sora retorted.

"Nope. It's me." Riku fought back.

"No~ Me!"

"Nope. Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Me."

"Me!"

"Stop making yourself a fool, Sora."

"C-Come on, guys! Stop! If any of you get hurt now, it's 'so long competition' for the both of you!" Roxas tried to convince them to stop arguing. Sora always wanted to be better than Riku (even though he doesn't quite show it), that's why he often argued with him out of jealousy.

'Why can't he think of other ways to be jealous?' Roxas thought to himself when the glare the other two threw at each other started to fade. When Roxas noticed their shoulders relaxed, he knew the fight was over. Fights between them never last long anyway, after all, they are best friends. Then, he focused on the girl's conversation.

"It's normal to be nervous. We are human after all. Just try your best and we'll pray for the best too." He heard Namine said to Xion, who smiled back at the blonde.

"Yup! We will be there to cheer you on, Xion. You'll win for sure!" Kairi said and the others looked at her and gave her a smile or nod, telling her they would be there to cheer her on.

Xion smiled even wider and thanked them. "Thank you, guys. You all are the best."

Roxas found himself smiling wider too, that's something Xion never failed to affect him. Her smile, laugh and playful energy. They are like a good virus, influence him and his heart. Roxas felt something flutter in his stomach whenever she smiles, and he didn't mind that feeling. In fact, he loves how it felt.

Lunch ended eventually and so was school. The last piano practice that Xion had with Roxas was fluent and she played the whole song, while singing, without making any mistakes. As a reward for her excellent performance, Roxas treated her Sea Salt Ice Cream for the day. They spent a very great time together but eventually it was time for Xion to go home. After bidding each other farewell, Xion turned and walked home. Roxas, too, retreated back into his home and entered his bedroom.

Like all the lazy girls and boys around the world, he flopped onto his bed on his belly right after he entered the room. Moaned into his pillow with pleasure after another tiring school day, he started to think about his life in this pass few weeks. The 'Natalie kissed him' incident still bothered him, and ever since Natalie acted nice, things may be better but the irritating feeling never left. He just couldn't figure it out. Why is Natalie being nice? Flippe too. Why?

"Sigh… I really don't want to think about them right now…" With that, Roxas closed his eyes and drifted off to a dreamless nap.

~*~*~ Sing Me A Song ~*~*~

**Thursday, one day till competition countdown**

It was early in the morning when Roxas's cell phone rang, and he was still in bed. Woke up and picked himself up from the lying position, he grabbed his bag and began to fumble his hand around, in search of the little digital device. After a good 10 seconds or so, he finally grabbed hold of the vibrating cell phone.

"Hello? *yawn* Roxas Hikari speaking."

"Yo! Roxas! Is me, Torue. And~ Jarred!" Two different voices said.

"Oh! Hello, guys! What's up?" Roxas greeted them. Torue and Jarred are both of his History classmates and friends. Torue and Jarred are cousins and live together because Jarred is transferred from Radiant Leaf, and his parents are still there in Hallow Bastion. A unique skill of his is able to copy someone's writing really good and they seldom have flaws. However, that skill of his had caused him problem in Radiant Leaf when he copied his doctor's writing onto a paper to fake his absences. Both of them, just like him, are really interested with the ancient Keyblades.

"We would like to share a marvelous news with you! Guess what!" Jarred exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"There is a Keyblade exhibition in a town named Twin Hills tomorrow!"

~*~*~ Sing Me A Song ~*~*~

"OMG! Keyblade exhibition! Tomorrow! Keyblade Exhibition! Oh my god, I'm so excited!" A certain blonde said happily as he walked up the path to Xion's house. Earlier that day, Torue, Jarred and he had chatted non-stop about the Keyblade exhibition and they planned to discuss more about it later with other History classmates who are interested to go with them as well. Just thinking about the plan make Roxas grinned and full of excitement.

Unintentionally, Roxas started to skip happily like a girl. Well, no one would around here at this kind of time, so he just let his body act so childishly.

"Hi, Roxas!" a familiar voice called out to him.

Roxas abruptly stopped and looked up to the voice. The grin on his face widens. "Xion!" He called out and ran towards her.

"You seem to be very happy today. What happened?" Xion questioned him when he stopped in front of her.

"Oh! How do you know that?"

"I believe everyone would think of that when they saw a teenage boy skipping around like a 5 year old girl who got a new dress." Roxas flushed in embarrassment when he heard that. OMG… She saw that?

"You saw that?"

Xion nodded. Roxas blushed even redder. That is so embarrassing… Then, his best friend asked again, "So, what made you so happy?"

"You know Torue and Jarred from my History class?" Xion nodded slightly to him before he continued, "They told me this morning that tomorrow an exhibition of the ancient Keyblades would be held in Twin Hills! They said they would be able to drive me and a few of the other History class students to the exhibition tomorrow after school! Can you believe it? ! After so many years, I got to see the Keyblades with my own eyes!"

Suddenly, Xion's eyes went wide. She must be so surprised to know the news like he did. "R-Roxas… Are you sure it's tomorrow?"

Roxas nodded excitedly then said, "Yup! I really can't believe it! Real Keyblades and I got to see them! This is a once in a lifetime chance!" Just thinking about laying his eyes on one made his adrenaline rushed!

"B-But, do you have to go tomorrow? Not on Saturday?" Xion asked. Why does she sound so worried?

"Jarred said it is a one-day only exhibition, so if I missed out tomorrow, I missed out forever!" Roxas explained to her.

He noticed the look Xion gave him is quite… How to put it… Different. Like she's hurt. But, that's impossible. She doesn't seem to be sick or anything.

"Where _is _Twin Hills?" The question came out from Xion suddenly.

"Huh? Oh. I don't know either. Torue said he knows where it is, so he would bring us there." Roxas answered. "Isn't this awesome? ! I finally got to see a Keyblade!"

"Yes, it is. But-" Unfortunately, Roxas unintentionally cut off her sentence.

"I can hardly wait. It's gonna be the best day of my life forever!" Roxas turned and started to walk down the path. When he didn't hear a pair of footsteps behind him, he turned his head and found out that Xion didn't follow him; she stood motionless at the same location. Not quite sure why she acted like that, he called out to her, "Hey Xion! You're coming or not!?"

Xion shot up then she replied, "Ya! Coming!" She started to walk down the path. Roxas turned his back to the front when he saw Xion started to follow him, but he didn't know that Xion had kept a distance between them.

The both of them walked to their school in locked silent, only the sound of the birds and the rustling of the leaves are heard along the whole way. Roxas thought that Xion wants to enjoy the 'voice of nature' (as she called it), since she didn't break the silence. So he continued thinking of the up-coming trip and things he should bring. 'Camera. Hope they allow us to take photos.'

Soon, they reached the school and went to their lockers. After Xion took her stuffs, she directly went to her class, not even a saying a word to Roxas. On the other hand, Roxas didn't realize it, as his mind was only full of the excitement for the exhibition and soon, Torue and other History class classmates started to crowd around him, talking with him non-stop about the exhibition till the bell rang.

Lunch time came and Roxas was walking out from his class when the group of History class classmates came up to him again. All of them were talking altogether; different words and voices entered his ears, making him dizzy. Now he knows how celebrities feel around paparazzi. Feeling a migraine going to show up, he quickly interrupted, "Wow wow wow. Can you all don't speak at the same time? I can hardly understand a thing you are saying."

Quickly, the 8 students surrounding him like security guards and him as the president, stopped their inaudible gibbering. Roxas let out a sigh when the ringing in his head stopped as well. "Now. What are you guys trying to tell me?"

Torue was the one to speak out, "We're just planning to talk about the plan for tomorrow during lunchtime. You _must_ join us."

"Oh. Sorry. I already planned to have lunch with my friend, Xion. Maybe next time." Roxas declined.

"That's not a problem. You see, Zayas passed me a note just now. She said it's for you." Perny, a boy with black hair, said as he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket then offered it to the spiky blonde in front of him.

Roxas took it then read her handwriting in his mind. '_Roxas, sorry! I won't be able to join you with lunch today. Mr. Luxord called me and said he had to discuss a homework that I didn't do well on. Sorry again!' _

'Business Studies homework? Does she mean the balance sheet one? I'm pretty sure she did okay on that…' Roxas's thought was cut off by Jarred's loud voice.

"So? Are you coming?"

Roxas gave one more look on the note. Well, since Xion won't be able to join lunch with him. He might as well just join them. It's better than just eating alone. "Ya. Sure."

Lunchtime of the day was…. Different for Roxas. He has been having lunchtime with Xion every day; he didn't expect him to be so uncomfortable with the sudden change in his everyday routine. Without the familiar female face beside or in front of him almost drive him to the edge of nervousness. Okay… Maybe that was a bit too exaggerating. But he did feel really uncomfortable with the people around him. They might be friends (well, most of them are acquaintances), but the smiles, pats on back and casual chat made the spiky blonde felt really uneasy for some reason. Their closeness with him since the morning seems to cause him claustrophobic, his stomach somersaulted, migraine coming to visit little by little and he had to have an urge of to puke right there and then (and tried his very best to hold it back). He felt like a lamb under the eyes of wolves, playing with their prey before they finish it off.

But he hid it all behind his smiling mask and energetic voice. Maybe they just want to know him better? Not all of them have the same classes with him except for History. Perhaps they take this chance to talk with him? But something is a bit off… Their friendliness is a bit…. Unnatural. Fake, in a way. But then again, like a lamb being preyed on, he better go along with the 'game' if he wants to get through it. Maybe he can slowly get used to it.

And so he talked, laughed and smiled with them. Trying his best to conceal the uneasiness from them, hoping his mask won't crack and betray him. He really hopes Xion would just show up behind him. He would be so glad to leave the group and join her; she's one of the few people who can allow him to be himself. But she never showed up behind his back, thus he had to endure it for now.

"Curse you Luxord for taking Xion away…" Roxas cursed silently.

When lunchtime finally ends and the next class started, Roxas let out a sigh of relief, feeling better after he was once again free from the cylinder wall of people. However, Roxas wouldn't be able to sit next to Xion because someone had taken the seat he usually sat. This caused him and Xion to be one seat apart from each other, and also caused them unable to talk secretly at all.

'Great… And I thought I can ask her how the discussion with Mr. Luxord was…' Roxas thought sadly as he started to take down notes.

The rest of the day is boring and uneventful. Roxas had just exited the class when the same group of History class people came to surround him yet again, like crazy fangirls, only they are guys, not girls. Ken suggested they should mark out the plan back at his place so everything would be more organized.

Roxas tried to deny again, but another note from Xion (as told by Torue) had stopped him. This time, the note reads: '_Roxas, you can't believe it! Mr. Zexion called me. Said he needs to describe the story 'Animal Farm' to me in detail because I fail to make the report 'more like a literature one would'. Sorry again. Go home without me. See you tomorrow._'

'Animal Farm? Hm… I don't remember Xion mentioned it before. I thought she's reading 'How to Kill a Mocking Bird'.' Roxas thought.

"Coming? You better if you don't wanna miss the ride tomorrow." Ken said, making Roxas frown slightly. He didn't really want to tag along with them, since he already did for most of his free time in school. But he didn't want to miss the ride either. "*sigh* Okay. But just for a while." Roxas said, putting on his mask once again.

"That's what we wanna hear. Come on," Ken placed an arm around his shoulder, making Roxas shudder, but left unnoticed. "Off to my house."

Together, the group of 9 walked out of school. And the blonde laughed half-heartedly when one of them brings up a random joke. He knows today just would not be the same…

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**Friday, the day of the competition**

"Today's the day~ Keyblade Exhibition!" Roxas said happily as he quickly dressed, he could hardly wait for the school to start, end then off he goes, to the exhibition!

After having a simple breakfast, he headed towards Xion's house, and heard their 'arguments' as usual. Those two are always the same. Picked Xion up, the two of them then go to school. Along the way, Roxas couldn't help but only talk about the exhibition later. He was so excited and he also told her how many photos he would take with his camera (or secretly use his phone's built-in camera if the exhibition does not allow the use of cameras), and everything else that he knew about the exhibition from the group told him yesterday.

Xion listened to him with a smile on her face, nodding her head softly when he mentioned something interesting (which for him is almost everything he said). As a listener, Xion had done a great job and Roxas really appreciates it. He always likes to share things with his friends, especially with Xion, since they both have quite a lot in common. Oh. Axel too of course.

School was utterly bored but Roxas tried his best to make the best out of it by thinking about having lunch with Xion, Kairi and Riku, and then visit the Keyblade Exhibition after school. The school would not look so bored now he has happy thoughts. Or so he thought…

During lunchtime, the same group of History classmates circled around him again and asked him to join them for lunch. Roxas wanted to decline their offer when a student suddenly showed up and told him that his friends, Riku and Kairi, already had their lunch before him due to a slight change in their schedule. The student claimed that Kairi and Riku had requested him to pass the message to him because they are late for their next class. After hearing that, Roxas thought he would be having lunch with Xion only for the day, but yet another note proved him wrong.

'_Roxas. Sorry again. I thought we can have lunch together today, but then Mr. Xigbar called me. Really, oh god why? Anyway, Mr. Xigbar wants to discuss about my writing, grammar and stuff. So I can't join you again. Sorry!_' Those are what written on the note.

'Again? Really, why all teachers are calling her? I need her too.' Roxas was shocked at his own thought. N-Need her? Why did he use such strong word? It's like she is a part of his life. Without her, he would die or something. Well… Xion _is_ his best friend, apart from Axel. But, does he _need _her? An unfamiliar sensation spread throughout his body, making him shudder. 'W-What…. What is this feeling?'

"Hey! Are you listening or not?" Torue snapped him out of his trance.

"Oh! Sorry. Just… Thinking…" Roxas replied.

"So, again. Coming?" Perny repeated.

Roxas frowned slightly, hoping it left unnoticed by the group of classmates before him. Another lunch time with them? It's not that he dislikes them. They all are nice to him. It's the atmosphere he didn't like and the uneasiness it brings. But, just like yesterday, he didn't want to eat alone or with some random students, and they wanted to sum up the plan for later in the day. He pretty much has no choice but to agree to their offer. 'Just one more day with them. It's not like it will kill me. Yeah. It won't kill me.' Then, he walked off with them.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**(Same day, lunchtime, Kairi's side of the story)**

"Aaaah~ That class sure is boring…" Kairi murmured as she walked to her own locker. "Well, at least I got to eat with Xion and Roxas~"

Happily, Kairi opened her locker, not noticing a slip of paper fall out and landed onto the floor. After she placed all the textbooks of the previous classes into her locker and took those for the classes after lunch. She shut her locker up and locked it. Right before she's about to leave, she just happened to look down to make sure her shoelaces are still tied and noticed the slip of paper.

"What's this?" Kairi kneeled down to take the paper then read the content. "_Kairi. This is Xion. Let's have lunch outside at one of the picnic tables today. Roxas won't be able to join today. He said he had to meet Mr. Xigbar, about his grammar or something. I might show up late as well, so start without me. See ya soon!"_

"Outside huh? Sounds good. I wonder does Riku know about this… Maybe Xion gave him the same note as well. Hm… I wonder why Xion didn't contact us using text messages… Nah. I should go meet them now." Kairi told herself and walked to the door, which leads to an outdoor corridor that would bring her to the outdoor eating area, which also connects to the canteen.

Once she's there, a head of silver hair caught her eyes. "Riku!"

The said silver-haired boy moved his eyes from a novel he was currently reading and looked up to the person who called out his name. "Oh. Hi, Kairi. I see you have received the same note from Xion as well." Riku said and shut the book in his hand.

Kairi walked forward and sat down in front of him. "Ya. It's been a while since we ate out here too. Seems like Xion missed it, huh?"

Riku simply nodded then stated, "Xion mentioned that we should start before her. And too bad Roxas won't be able to join us today."

"Hm… Mr. Xigbar seldom called students to stay back after class or meet him in the office. I wonder why he's calling Roxas now? Okay~ I'll go buy my lunch now." Kairi said then went to buy her lunch, Riku stayed behind to let people know that the table was occupied. After Kairi came back, he went to buy his lunch. Eventually, the both of them sat in front of each other at the picnic table, eating their lunch in a steady pace, waiting for their ravenette friend to show up.

"What's taking Xion so long? It's already been 10 minutes." Kairi asked and inserted a piece of carrot in her mouth.

Riku shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Normally, she should be here by now… Let's just wait again." Then, he put a spoonful of his fried rice into his mouth then chewed.

"Okay…" Kairi said the continued her lunch. But no matter how delicious her lunch is today, she still couldn't shake off a bad feeling… Like someone she cares about is going to get hurt… Badly.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

**(Same day, back to Roxas's side of the story)**

Lunch… What can he say? It didn't feel like he was having a lunch break; he felt like he was having an acting class, one that he needs to do perfectly on in his current situation. Unable to have lunch with Xion, he had another lunch with his History class acquaintances. They said they would like to sum up the plan during lunch, but it didn't seem like that at all. Right after they found a vacant table and all of them had gotten out or purchased their lunches, they chatted about anything but the plan.

Why do they tell him to eat with them if they're not going to talk about the plan at all? Now to think about it, if they didn't want to talk about the plan, he'll just go eat outside. It had been a while since he last ate out there anyway.

"Sorry guys. But it seems like we don't need to sum up the plan. I believe we don't need to as well, since we did that thoroughly yesterday. So, if you guys can excuse me, I have a place to be." Roxas said politely as he readied to stand up.

The students stopped their gibbering then said in unison, "No."

Roxas was caught off guard by their answer. "W-What?"

"We would like you to stay, Roxas. It's just that, we seldom spent time together except History class. And keep on talking about the exhibition is a bit boring –we know- but if we don't say we want to sum up the plan, you won't join us. Sorry that we lied. We just wanna talk about other stuffs with you other than the same topic. So, can you stay? We can sum up the plan before lunch end if you really want." Torue explained with a small smile.

Roxas looked at his friend, then to the group of History classmates. They just wanted to hang out with him more? The whole thing... Is it really what he thought it was? They used this opportunity to know him more? "You guys… Really just want to hang out with me?"

They nodded slightly.

The spiky blonde-haired boy let out a sigh then smiled softly back to them. Oddly, he realized he didn't remove his mask fully. Why did he do that for? Now he knew they just want to know him more, there's no need to hide. But why is the mask still on? Is there something his conscience knows about but he didn't? What's wrong?

"Okay. I'll stay." Roxas said, the hesitation in his tone was left unknown.

The conversation that was stopped earlier continued and Roxas found himself participating in the conversation. They talked about games, sports, jokes, memes and a lot more. Roxas didn't talk as much as they are, but at least he was conversing with them, stopped whenever he went back to eating.

In the middle of a conversation, one of the classmates asked him whether he can borrow his cell phone for a while. His phone credit was finished and he really needed to reply an important message from his mother. Being the kind boy he always was, Roxas lent out his cell phone without a second thought. The classmate thanked him then did what he needed to do. Roxas went back to the conversation with Torue, Jarred and Ken. The classmate returned him his cell phone a few minutes later, Roxas simply slid it back into his pocket without a look.

Soon, the bell rang. Lunch time is over.

And like in a blink of an eye. It was the last class of the day. Once again, Roxas wasn't able to sit next to Xion, some girl had taken his usual seat and the teacher had entered the class. He let out an inaudible sigh then sat down on a nearby vacant seat. The class was okay for the blonde. Despite he's writing down the notes from the slides onto his own notebook, he couldn't erase the smile on his face; he couldn't stop thinking about the Keyblade exhibition. Just a few more minutes more then he can go see real keyblades. Just thinking about those fascinating ancient weapons made Roxas even more excited.

Finally, the school end bell rang throughout the school. Students flooded into the hallways like water and Roxas was going to be one of them as well. After placing his stuffs into his bag, Roxas turned to see Xion, but only saw her seat was empty. She had already left before him. "Xion…" Why did she leave so fast?

Roxas took his bag then exited the class, heading towards his locker to put the books he didn't need in. When he reached his locker, Xion was nowhere in sight. Did she really leave already? Why is she in such a hurry? They haven't even said goodbye to each other. To think about it, they hardly spent any time together today… He missed the old time. He let out another sigh then opened his locker. Suddenly, a note slipped out from within. He caught it before it dropped onto the floor. 'What's this?'

Roxas unfolded the paper then read: _'Hi Roxas, is me Xion. I got a little depressed after meeting Mr. Xigbar. I got quite a low mark on that essay and I put a lot of efforts in it! It's not like I want my grammar to be that bad. Geez… Anyway, I went home earlier to chill off this frustration. Sorry that I left earlier. Go have fun at the exhibition; we can talk after you come back from it. Have fun!'_

'Xion got low mark on English? Her grammar wasn't _that_ bad, but chilling off a frustration of hers is what she usually does. We usually chilled off together with Axel, ice cream and on top of the clock tower.' Roxas thought. He would love to accompany and be a listener for her while she cursed out her frustration with ice cream, but he has an exhibition to go to. Axel normally would take his place if he's absent, but today was Friday; Axel has his part time job. 'Sorry, Xi. That you have to chill off all by yourself…'

Roxas shoved the note into his pocket then placed his stuffs into the locker. He got some revision books out then locked his locker. The gang of History acquaintances walked up to him. "Seems like you're ready. Let's go, Roxas. To the exhibition!" Jarred exclaimed in an excited tone. The blonde smiled slightly then nodded his head before he followed them to the front door with them surrounding him yet again. He still felt uncomfortable trapped in the middle of them.

Once they stepped out of the school building, Roxas felt the warm afternoon sunlight shining down on him. After being trapped indoor for such long hours, it felt so good to be out in the sun. 'Hmm… I hope I can get back before sunset…' To Roxas, he believes there's nothing better than eating ice cream with Xion and Axel while talking about the exhibition he went, Xion cursed about the teachers and Axel cursed about his extra works from his cheap boss. Surely they had things to talk about today. It had been a long time since they have been on the clock tower, just chilling out and talking. He missed those days…

"Hey, Roxas." Torue's voice snapped the blonde out of his daze. "Do you think they will have the infamous X-Blade out for display?"

Roxas chuckled at his question. "I don't think so, Torue. The X-Blade had been destroyed by the Keyblade Masters centuries ago. Even though it was said that the X-Blade was used in the war, it was actually still a weapon under construction. It was strong despite being an incomplete work –just imagining how powerful it would be if it was forged to perfectness- but it was weak enough for the keyblades to destroy it. So I believe they won't have the X-Blade for display, I doubt they even found a broken piece of it." **(A.N.: I haven't finished KH: BBS, so my knowledge of X-Blade is practically 0. So this was made up, and that means: Please don't believe this 'fact'.)**

Torue clapped his hands softly at Roxas's answer. "That was awesome. No wonder you always get A in tests. You really read your textbooks and did your research."

Roxas smiled at the compliment. "Thanks Torue. The history of the Keyblade War is just so… Interesting. So I couldn't help to learn more of it and the weapons." When he finished his sentence, they had exited the front gate. Not far from them was a jeep, large enough to fit in their gang of 9 students.

"Okay, guys. Get in the jeep. And don't dirty my baby!" Ken sternly told them from the driver's seat.

"Okay okay, Ken. We're coming and don't worry about your 'baby'. She'll be clean."Torue said as he followed the others and climbed onto the jeep's backseat.

Roxas oddly found himself sighing without a reason. His hand slid into his pocket and pulled out the note from Xion. Something feels… "Strange…" Roxas whispered as he re-read the note.

"Hey, Roxas! What are you doing? Come in already." Jarred called out to him.

"Oh! Coming." Roxas placed the note into his school bag then climbed into the backseat of the jeep, shutting the door after he entered. The jeep has 8 seats: The front section of the jeep consists of the driver and passenger's seats, the middle has three seats, same as the number of seats at the back. It wasn't really cramped with 9 people in the jeep since some of them are quite thin.

"Next destination: Twin Hills." Ken said then started the engine. It roared into life then soon, the jeep drove away from Twilight Starz High.

Roxas looked out of the window until the school was finally out of view. The strange feeling that he experienced during lunch time had surfaced once again. If it was warning about him of an incoming danger, he had no chance of escaping now.

* * *

**And that is the end of this chap. Sorry if it doesn't satisfy you. The next chap would be better, I promise! **

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Sora Hiranaga**

**Kairi Minami**

**Namine Kaneko**

**Riku Fukuda**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Olette Yasashi**

**Hayner Kettei **

**Pence Kashiko**

**Xion Zayas**

**Characters that have no surname so far:**

**Lexaeus**

**Torue**

**Jarred**

**Ken & other History classmates**

**************Don't forget a review, or fav, or alert! Thx u! :D**


	15. Bottom of the Heart

**I'm back for another update! YAY! *got attacked by weapons. Again* Argh... DX**

**********I'll like to thanks ****BlendInTheDarkness, arkee, NightfallSky, darkwolf1126, Flower5450, ****violentyetawesome, Takamira, ****emmausgirl94, **Magikbyrd, **Starowner,** LunaClefairy, **amazoness23, KC-Chan13,** **khdayskh1314**, xion, NinjaxSketcheartx, M-North, an anonymous reviewer who stayed up late to review, Riley-Hell's-Princess, Easy2Hurt, Topaz Miuki, KeyToOblivion, PooperScooper000, Random Reader, Dom and Cutiepiepo2 for reviewing in this story! Thank you all!

**********************Next is the people who reviewed the previous chapter. Thank you ************************Riley-Hell's-Princess************************, ************************khdayskh1314, Dom, NightfallSky, Cutiepiepo2 and ************************Easy2Hurt! Sorry for making you guys wait.**

**************************Thirdly, I would like to thank the people who fav the story! Thank you, ********emmausgirl94, Flower5450, violentyetawesome, Takamira, RSV, Magikbyrd, amazoness23, JohnKat** lover67, ******KC-Chan13,** Animated Music Drawer, ******khdayskh1314**, ******NinjaxSketcheartx,** ShadowofaHeart, moonofwitch, Topaz Miuki, Easy2Hurt, kingdom hearts lover17, PooperScooper000, KHWriter . com, Roxas1094 and tghn! LOVE YOU!

******************************Fourthly, the people who alerts. Thank you ********emmausgirl94, violentyetawesome, animearlinefreak, Takamira, RSV, Starowner(u r not in the list anymore, but i put u in anyway), khdayskh1314, Riley-Hell's-Princess, TheSpiritOfSnow, ********************************************************************************************NinjaxSketcheartx,** RavenGoesToHeaven, OneMoreThanThis, Topaz Muiki, Maethorelen, Purple Shadow Wolf, PooperScooper000, HeartsMockingjay, FirePhoniex12, **************************KHWriter . com, Roxas1094 and tghn**! Thank you guys! 

**************************Finally, all the loyal readers! Thank you for continue reading my stories despite the very slow update. Thank you once again!**

**************************Please, do enjoy and sorry for any missing words or punctuation marks (this site accidentally remove them sometimes).**

* * *

Chapter 15: Bottom of the Heart

'Is this how it's gonna end?'

Another fire flickered for Xion to see, the creaking of the dry wood that made the tree house was becoming louder and more frequently by the seconds, thick black smoke entered the tree house, making her eyes watered and blood-shot.

The source of the fire was the rope ladder that was used to climb into the tree house. It was sprayed with cheap perfume and set on fire by a heartless Yellow-Eyed Witch, who held no regret in her soul-piercing eyes as she start up the lighter. That witch knew she was most likely going to murder a human soul, yet it seems she doesn't care a bit, as if the soul she's murdering is one that is unimportant; a soul she can dispose off without fearing she would be caught.

But the ravenette of that soul would not let that witch get what she wanted.

Xion tried her best to calm herself down as she continued to think of other ways to save the tree house and herself. She knew she had no water, sand, fire extinguisher or anything else that could put out a fire with and the tree house consisted of items that won't be able to do the job as well. But there must be some other ways, she just hasn't thought of it yet.

"Come on, Xion… Think… Think… Think…" Xion tried to stand back up to her feet when she felt her fingertips made contact with something cold. Looking down to her hand, she found out it was a scissors made from steel. She had emptied everything in her shoulder bag during her search for useful items and her scissors had fallen out as well. What can a scissor do in this situation?

Xion's eyes snapped wide opened. "That's it!" The ravenette quickly grabbed hold of the scissors then went to the floor entrance of the tree house. The fire had already destroyed more than the bottom half of the ladder; nothing left but ashes on the grass below. The fire is currently burning the second top step of the ladder; soon, it would reach the wood and catch it on fire. Bent herself down more, Xion quickly grabbed hold of the top part of the rope that haven't fallen victim to the fire with one hand and used the scissor in her other hand to cut it. It took Xion a few cuts before the thick, strong rope finally snapped. The fire was getting closer.

Xion quickly grabbed the other rope and cut it. The heat from the fire was so scorching hot she almost dropped the scissors when the metal had conducted the heat, burning her fingers as she continued cutting the numerous small threads of the rope.

"Come one… Break… Yes!" The remaining threads of the rope were cut then the whole burning ladder fell down onto the grassy ground, where it continued stayed aflame, but it was a very good safe distance from the tree house. She did it… She saved the tree house.

'Now… I just have to wait till the fire gone out then I can leave.' It didn't take a long time for the fire to finally die and only ashes was left on where the ladder once was. Xion had placed all of her books, stationeries, scissors and water bottle back into her bag as she waited for the fire to go out. After making sure the fire is really out, the ravenette dropped her bag onto the ground from the tree house, it landed near to the base of the tree trunk.

Due to the extremely dangerous height the tree house was from the ground, Xion was certain she couldn't land without a breaking bone (or more if she didn't land correctly). And with no strong branches around the entrance as support, she wasn't able to climb to the tree trunk as well. All that she can think of in order to let herself reached the ground safely was by using the two beanbags.

After she dragged the yellow beanbag to the entrance -and made sure she can drop it to be directly on the spot she wanted-, Xion placed the almost-fully stuffed beanbag on the entrance then pushed. The beanbag slid down through the entrance and dropped onto the ground, landed right where Xion wished it would land . She did the same with the blue beanbag and finally, she had the two beanbag right below the tree house floor entrance, side by side with each other.

All she needed to do next was jump.

Holding a glass jar containing the broken seashells she loved so much closer to her chest, Xion took a huge breath in, closed her eyes then jumped down.

Xion felt the wind whisked past her ears and brushed through her hair before she landed on the beanbags with a "Poof!" Xion slowly opened her eyes and realized she had reached the ground; the beanbags had caught her fall. Xion pushed herself off the beanbags and went to retrieve her school bag. When her eyes landed on the yellow beanbag, which cushioned most of her fall, her eyes started to water without any warning.

"W-What?" Xion touched her cheek, feeling wet trails from her eyes and the tears continued to roll out, refused to stop. "W-Why…?" Xion was shocked to hear her voice breaks from the crying. Her nose started to get stuffed; caused her to sniff whenever she tried to breathe and her body started to tremble.

She was just okay a moment ago, why did she start to cry so suddenly?

Xion looked at the yellow beanbag one more time then changed her gaze to the jar in her hand. So… That was the reason… It was Roxas… She thought of Roxas… The yellow beanbag and the broken blue-and-yellow seashell in the jar were both his. They had tugged her heartstrings, caused the tears to appear. She likes him so much, yet he doesn't like her back. She might be okay if that was the only situation, but it wasn't. Not only he doesn't like her, Roxas betrayed her trust and friendship; using her to help Natalie, make her give everything to him, make her believe in everything he said: in this case, which is him being her best friend. He was playing with her heart, and he played it too hard…

Xion cried, her knees buckled and she slid onto the grass. She felt so stupid… "W-Why… did I… tr-trust him s-so… muc-much…?" Sobs were starting to take over her voice, messing up her sentences. But she didn't care, she had never felt so horrible in her life… Only crying and sobbing can make her feel better later.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone entered into her ear. She looked around for the source then realized it was from her own cell phone. Who could be calling her? Could it be… Roxas? Xion took her cell phone out from her bag then looked at the calling ID. It was from Kairi. Why is she calling? Wait… The singing competition! She left without telling them! And since she didn't go out on stage, and the MC announced that she was 'sick', they must be worried sick about her! But she's sobbing uncontrollably right now (surely she can't speak properly with all these sobs), yet she can't let them worry about her… Then again, will letting them know she was crying not worried them?

The next thing she knew, she clicked on the call button.

"*sniff* H-Hello? *sniff*" Xion asked, hardly knew her voice was trembling.

"Xion? Xion is that you? Are you alright? Are you crying?"

"*sob* N-Nami? *sniff*"

"Yes, Xion. Is me. In fact, Kai, Sor and Rik are also here. We're all here. Are you alright Xion? Why are you crying?" Namine asked again, concern filled her tone. Xion felt guilty. She didn't want them to worry about her… She should have told them when she was still back at school.

Xion tried to soften her sobs as much as possible before she spoke, "I-I… I'm just… *sniff* I'm just so dis-disappointed… *sniff*"

"It's alright, Xion. This is only the first competition; you still can join the second one. Please don't cry," Another female voice consoled her. It must be Kairi.

"*sob* It's n-not only the com-competition… *sniff* It's…. It's…. *sniff*" The sobbing started to get louder and she can hardly stop it. Yes. She was disappointed that she wasn't able to participate in the first competition. But what she was disappointed the most was her ex-best friend. _It's Roxas… I'm so disappointed at Roxas…_

"Xion, are you at home now? We'll come right no-" Riku said but she quickly cut him off.

"NO! Please don't! *sniff*" Xion yelled into her phone. She can't let them see her like this: broken, lost in emotions and tears, and totally helpless. She can't let them see this side of her, it will only cause her friends to be sad and she didn't deserve their pity. Just like Natalie said, she brought all these onto herself…

"X-Xion…" She could hear her friends whispered out her name on the other side of the line, and she could already hear the sadness in their voice. She should end this call now…

"*sniff* I… I need some time alone. *sniff* Please…. Don't come… Please… *sob*" Xion pled them as she wiped another tear trail from her cheek with the back of her hand.

A silence of nothing but her soft sobbing filled the quiet woods and also the place where her friends currently were. It was Kairi who broke the upsetting atmosphere, "We understand. But please Xion, call us when you feel better or when you need us. We all are so worried of you; you know we care about you."

Just like she feared, they are worried about her. They shouldn't… They shouldn't be a part of this mess of hers. They don't deserve to be a part of this painful truth. They have their own life, her life shouldn't upset theirs. But… When Xion heard Kairi told her that they cared about her, small warmth filled her heart. She still has them; she wasn't alone… There are still people like them.

The ravenette sobbed softly then replied with a simple 'Um'; she could hardly speak, feeling the sorrow slowly surfacing once again from the depth of her heart. The walls that she managed to build crumbled, another wave of tears started streaming down her still cold and wet cheeks.

"We hope to hear from you soon. See ya, Xion." A male voice said. Xion guessed it must be Sora.

Xion answered with another 'Um…' then clicked the 'End' button. The line went dead then the first tear of the second wave dripped off her chin. Why was she acting like this? Even the comforting words from her friends didn't seem to have the slightest effect on her aching heart. The warmth earlier got over-shadowed by the sorrow she now felt.

Roxas. Everything she can think of was Roxas, Roxas, ROXAS. He was everywhere in her mind, bringing out all the time she had spent so happily with him: the clock tower moments, annoying and helping Axel at his part-time job, camping out, hanging out and even the times when she went for piano practices at his house. Every one of those memories had been fully treasured by her, but now, they are only making her heart ache worst!

"D-Damn it… W-Why did y-you ha-have to do th-this to me, Roxas…?" Xion sobbed.

Fresher memories started to show up: the days Roxas had helped her with the competition practice and the day he held her hand while they went to their English class. She had felt so happy during those days. When Roxas held her hand in his, she felt she was someone special to him because he never held someone's hand (especially a girl's hand) for that long before. And the way her hand fits in his made the butterflies fluttered in her stomach. But now, she guessed all those days are just acts of his, his plans to make her trust and like him more so he can get what he wanted.

The next memory struck her already scattered heart into even more pieces. The kiss. The kiss of Natalie and Roxas was a nightmare. She remembered crying about it that day, and she was doing the same thing again right now. She just cannot ignore the fact that she had liked Roxas all the way since perhaps when she hit puberty. Or perhaps she had liked him ever since they were just little kids. And perhaps the whole drama of being a high school student was her wake-up call. But the call was too late… Too late for her to have Roxas's heart anymore…

"D-Damn it…"

She lost. She has been losing all this time… Now she's officially lost.

"D-Damn it all…"

The certain feeling she needed to express to someone years ago will now never have the chance…

"Argh… !"

Her heart lay shattered like the seashells in the jar…

"ARGH… !"

Today was the day her world truly fell apart…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ! !"

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Roxas looked out of the window, enjoying the beautiful shade of green of the tree leaves along the mountain trail. They have been driving for almost an hour, and they seem to be still in the middle of the mountain. Roxas seldom left Twilight Town to other places before, and when he did, he usually uses the train to get to the nearby towns and the beach. But he did remember his dad drove him and his family using the mountain trail before, and it didn't take them this long to exit the trail.

'I wonder why this drive is so long…' Roxas thought then asked, "Hey, Ken. I'm curious. It's almost an hour and why are we still on the mountain trail?"

Ken was about to speak when Torue cut in, "Oh. Twin Hills got its name like this: The town resides deep within the mountain, where it is hidden between two hills, which they called 'twin hills'."

Roxas blinked once, then twice. Really? There's a town deep in the mountain? Twilight Town might be near to the mountain, but a town deep within it… "That doesn't really make sense to me, Torue. Why an exhibition so grand would take place in a town in the mountain instead of bigger towns like Traverse Town, Hallow Bastion or even Twilight Town? No… Why didn't it take place in Disney Town? King Mickey's bloodline had relation to the Keyblade War, the exhibition should have held there." Roxas asked, questions regarding of the exhibition and this mysterious town started flooding his mind. 'Why didn't I think about these questions before? For an exhibition like that, it really shouldn't be held in such an unknown town.'

"Oh. A-Ah. Um… I'm not sure why either. I just know it's in Twin Hills. That's all." Torue replied then turned his head away with a shrug, a sign of telling people that he came to the end of the conversation.

Roxas frowned slightly from the reply. Now, he started to have doubts about the existence of this Keyblade exhibition. They were the only car on a mountain trail that he has no idea where it leads to, things are getting stranger and uneasy for him by the seconds.

Roxas looked forward and happened to look at Ken, who was the one that was driving the huge jeep, through the rearview mirror. For a second, Roxas saw Ken looked towards Torue, who also made eye contact with him via the mirror. And after a nod of a head from Ken, hands suddenly grabbed onto the blonde.

"W-What the heck? !" Roxas yelped in surprise. Whomever that sat behind him in the third row had wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him back onto his seat, choking him slightly as well. Torue, who sat beside him, almost literally sat onto his lap as he secured down both his arms and legs. Another pair of hands from the back row came forward and pinned him back even more by the upper arms. At that moment, Roxas felt really, really insecure (not to mention the loss of personal space).

"W-What the hell, guys? ! What's going on? ! Move your hands off me! Let go!" Roxas shouted at them, thrashing around, trying to free himself.

Suddenly, Ken made a sharp turn and drove onto a deserted, rocky path, driving even deeper into the mountain. Roxas looked out of the window, the trees were getting denser and the low small branches scratched against the jeep loudly. As the jeep bounced on the rocky path, sounds of 'Clank' from the back of the jeep entered Roxas's ears. 'W-What… What are those sounds? ! What the hell is going on? !'

After a few minutes of useless struggling, Ken drove out from the dense trees and exited to what seems like a small clearing. Right after the car stopped at the side of the clearing, Torue opened the door and roughly pushed the blonde out of the car, shoving him to the middle of the clearing. The force of the final shove caused the spiky blonde to trip over his footing and landed onto the dusty ground.

"What the hell, guys! What was all that for? !" Roxas exclaimed, wincing slightly from his fall.

Torue retreated to the jeep, a guilty look plastered on his face. No… That look was on all of his History classmates' face as they remained sitting in the jeep, some of them even refused to look at him.

Roxas shot them a questioning look as he stood back up. "Guys. Answer me. What were all these for? Why are we here? And why do you shove me out, Torue?"

The male student flinched when the question was directed towards him. Roxas guessed he _might_ be the leader of all these… oddities. So he asked once again, this time, his voice much sterner. "Well? Answer me, Torue. I'm tired of all this silent treatment!"

Torue broke the eye contact from Roxas when his tone was raised. At last, he replied, "S-Sorry Roxas. We… We pretty much don't have a choice… We have to listen to them…"

Roxas arched a brow as he asked, "Who's 'them'?"

"Those 'them', are us."

Roxas jolted from the sudden voice from behind him. He turned and frowned at the sight.

"Kellett…"

The brunette smirked. "Hikari. Nice to see you're here. Oh. I believe you have met these 3 basketball players of mine." Flippe Kellett said as he walked towards Torue, who was trembling slightly at the spot, looking at the advancing brunette.

Roxas turned to inspect the 3 basketball players who stood behind Flippe a moment ago. He knew them, but he knew their name won't be much of an importance right now, all he need to take notice is their height and shape: they are able to kill him without breaking a sweat with those muscles of theirs. Then again, they are not considered as the best basketball players for nothing.

Why is Kellett here and why did he bring along the 3 largest players from his team? What did he do to make Torue and his acquaintances to backstab him?

"Why are you here, Kellett? And what did you do to them?" Roxas questioned the brunette, who was now standing next to Torue.

"Well. Let's just say I got something they don't want the principle to know about." Flippe said as he retrieved a CD out from his jacket's inner pocket. He continued, "And also…" He used his other hand and pulled out a stack of cash that was about 0.5cm high **(A.N. Hey. That's a lot of banknotes.)** from his pant's pocket. "Some extra cash. For a job well done."

The spiky-haired blonde growled when he understand the situation before him. "You _**blackmailed**_ them? !"

Flippe continued smirking. "I can 'cause I can. After all, I believe they wouldn't want their sneaky action be known by the principle now, would they?" Flippe glanced over to the History classmates, who all shook their head at him. "So, I might as well use that as an advantage."

Roxas scowled even more.

Torue turned to Flippe then asked softly, "C-Can we have the CD now?"

"Ya. But hand me those over first."

Torue nodded his head and motioned one of the students in the jeep to bring out something. Soon, Jarred came out of the jeep with 4 brand new crowbars in his hands before handing them over to Flippe, who tossed them both the CD and cash afterward.

'So _those_ are what making the noise in the jeep just now! What are those going to use for? God… I have a bad feeling about this…' Roxas gulped inaudibly as he slowly set himself in a fighting stand, just in case anything happened, he could either fight or dodge then escape.

"All right. You minions can go now. Your services to us are done. But keep in mind, breathe one word about this to a soul…" Flippe stopped and performed the slitting throat gesture to the two trembling forms in front of him. "You guys would be sorry…"

Torue and Jarred quickly nodded their head and scrambled back into the jeep, shutting the door behind him, leaving Roxas in the hands of Flippe Kellett and what he had in store for the blonde.

The next minute, Torue lowered down the window then threw Roxas's schoolbag out, which landed onto the ground with a soft thud. They are leaving without him; they had abandoned him. And Roxas knew that the moment Flippe showed up. "And I thought we're friends…"

Torue must have heard him; Roxas saw him flinched as he closes the window. And the mouthed 'Sorry' from his lips only proved him right.

Once the window closed, Ken put the jeep in reverse and quickly drove out of the clearing, back to the trail where they came from. Now, it's just Roxas left in the clearing, with 4 people who clearly wanted to cause him harm.

"May I know why I got the 'privilege' of meeting you in such a beautiful place?" Roxas asked sarcastically. Even though Flippe and Natalie had started acting nice a few days ago, he still doesn't like them one bit. Plus, the Flippe in front of him is nowhere close to being nice; He's acting like his old, bastard self. 'I should have known… He has been acting for the past few days… Natalie must have too…'

Flippe walked back to his basketball players casually with the crowbars in hands. "Well, firstly, do you know what day was today?"

What's that question about? "It's Friday? Why are you asking me this? Lost your calendar?" Roxas mocked.

Flippe snickered as he handed one crowbar for each of the basketball players, keeping one for himself. "Oh. I didn't lose my calendar. But I'm pretty sure you need to check yours, Hikari. You just missed a very important day."

"W-What…?"

Flippe turned to face him, making eye contact with the blonde. "Oh? You really haven't figured it out yet? What kind of friend are you, Hikari? Abandon her just like that."

Roxas was getting even more confused.

The brunette let out a sigh through his smirk. "Hikari, Hikari, Hikari. What to do with you? Today's the day of the school's Singing Competition, my _friend…_"

Roxas's eyes snapped wide opened at the news. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God… No no no. I-I I have forgotten about it? Oh no no no." Roxas mumbled, started pacing around in circles at the spot he stood, clutching his hair in his hands, cursing at himself. "God damn it! I forgot! Oh no no no no no. Is that what Xion is trying to make me remember? Oh my God… I-I… I didn't…. God!"

"Ah. Shocking, isn't it?" Flippe stated.

Roxas groaned in annoyance. He forgot his best friend's singing competition. He promised her he would be there to cheer for her. He was supposed to do that! Not here in the middle of the woods, having no freaking idea how far he is from town, and 'hanging out' with the bastard Flippe Kellett. "It's all your fault…"

"Pardon?" the brunette asked.

Roxas turned to meet Flippe's eyes, fire burning in his own. "This is all your fault! You _blackmailed_ my friends to bring me out to a freaking exhibition that doesn't exist, on the same day and time of the singing competition! I don't know why you did all this for, but you're the reason why I missed the competition! You're the reason why I have forgotten about it!" The blonde exclaimed loudly, rage overtook him at every step he took towards the Devil. "Tell me, _Kellett_!" Roxas spat out his name like poison. "What's all this about? !"

Flippe Kellett smirked on. "I can 'cause I can. Plus, it's your fault for being so gullible in the first place."

"Oh, that's IT!" Roxas shouted then sent out a punch towards the brunette's face. The feel of his knucklebones made contact with Flippe's face satisfied his anger. That's what he gets for causing all these problems and heck, Roxas has no idea how he can face Xion later.

Roxas was about to send another punch to the brunette when a solid hit to his stomach knocked him back. Stumbling, Roxas tries to overcome the intense pain and catch his footing. 'W-What? That hurts!'

Clutching onto his stomach, Roxas glanced around. The 3 basketball players, along with Flippe, had surrounded him. Each of them held the deadly metal weapon firmly in their hand, clearly none of them is going to have mercy to him.

Roxas stood into a fighting stance, trying to ignore the stings on his stomach as he readied himself for a fight. 4 armed guys against an unarmed him; he needs all the concentration he can get if he doesn't wish to die in their hands.

"Hya!" One of the basketball player yelped before charging towards the blonde like an enraged rhinoceros. Roxas quickly turned to the source of the voice and dodged the crowbar as it swung towards his face. While the basketball player was stung in shock by Roxas's swiftness, the said blonde used the chance to send a strong side kick to the player's stomach, knocking him backward. When Roxas noticed the grip of the crowbar loosen, he swiftly knocked it out of his opponent's hand and grabbed it as his own.

Roxas smirked when the player landed onto his back with a hiss of pain. They might be huge and he might be outnumbered, but he was the only one out of them all who has fighting experience, now with a crowbar in hand, he can use it like a sword and fights even better.

"HYA!" Another player charged towards him with his crowbar raised, Roxas simply turned to face him and deflected his attack easily. Using his own crowbar, Roxas made a thrust attack, hitting the opponent's chest, knocking the air out of him. Then another kick to the stomach to push him away from him before he turned and blocked an attack with the crowbar from the last basketball player, who tried to attack him with a bash attack while he was fighting the previous one.

"Try to attack while I'm distracted? You're the cleverest out of those two, but…" Roxas then kneed him in the groin before sending a punch in the face. "You need to work on your defenses."

Three's out of the way, one more to go.

Roxas turned to face Flippe. "Bring it on, _Devil_."

Thus, they fought.

Throughout the fight, Roxas had dodged and deflected all of Flippe's attacks. He had used that period of time to tire the brunette out, as well as getting his own steady breathing back. Flippe was no sword-fighter like him, but he wasn't one that got tired after a 5 minutes of constant attacking, it was no surprise from a basketball player, even if he wasn't the best in the team. Roxas has to admit: he has good cardio endurance. But there's no way he's going to tell him that.

"What is it, Flippe? Are you getting tired already?" Roxas teased as he blocked another attack. "I might let all of these slides if you would stop and explain everything to me, truthfully."

Flippe smirked then said, "Oh. Things will slides, but it is _you_ instead."

"W-What?" Before Roxas could registered in what Flippe just said, someone suddenly grabbed him by the ankle and pulled, caused him to fall and knocked the back of his head onto the ground in the end. The blonde's eyesight went blurry for a few seconds, but that doesn't stop him from propping himself up by the elbows and try to find out who did that to him. When his vision cleared up, he realized it was the second basketball player that he fought just now.

'Damn… I forgot about them.' Roxas tried to kick the player away, but he wouldn't let go of his grip on his left leg. "Let go of me!" Roxas lifted up the crowbar in his right hand and was about to strike it down onto his opponent when someone grabbed onto it. Roxas looked up and saw the first basketball player. The player grabbed onto the crowbar with both of his hands and twisted it out of the blonde's grasp, leaving him once again, unarmed.

"Hey!" Roxas yelled to the first player but quickly turned his head back to the one by his feet when he felt his left leg being lifted off the ground. One of the player's hands was holding tightly by the ankle and the other one was around his foot. "H-Hey! What are you doing? !"

What's next happened in a flash of pain. "ARGH! ! !" Roxas yelled in pain as his ankle has been twisted like rubber and when the player mercilessly pushed his injured ankle, the spiky blonde yelled again as the pain intensified, like salt and lemon added onto a fresh, open wound.

Once the player let go of his leg, Roxas curled up like a shrimp on instinct; trying to protect himself from any other harm. Roxas gasped for breath as he looked down at his sprained ankle, it was swelling at a fast rate, the pain had lessened slightly but it still hurts like hell on fire. Except for the intense pain, another thing came to mind: he can't stand properly with a twisted ankle, let alone fight.

A shadow loomed over him and he looked up, seeing no other than the Devil himself. "Told cha you would 'slide' down, and we're going to make sure you're going to stay down."

Knowing he is in huge trouble, Roxas tried to retreat but it was no use. All 3 of the basketball players each held onto his arms and legs, pinning him onto the ground with all their might. And the blonde couldn't help but groaned in pain as one of the players implied more force on his injured ankle on purpose.

Flippe Kellett sat onto Roxas's stomach, looking down at the helpless blonde under him. "Let's see how you like a punch in your face?" Without another word, Flippe crashed down his fist, punched Roxas square in the face so hard Roxas swore he tasted blood. And his guess was right when a second punch landed onto his face; he spat out blood.

"Ah… Bleeding internally already, huh? That's good to know." Flippe said then chuckled.

Rage started to boil within Roxas once again. When Flippe stopped laughing and looking back at him, Roxas spat onto his face in disgust and hatred. "Blackmailing people, tricking people for his own amusement, attacking an unarmed person with minions and deadly weapons… Hell… You're the lowest person of the society I have ever seen."

Flippe Kellett stared right into Roxas's eyes with an emotionless expression as he wiped the blood-mixed spit off his face. He quietly got off the blonde, stood back up to his two feet then…

"ARGH!"

Sent a strong stomp directly onto the blonde's already bruised stomach.

Roxas gasped in pain, coughing in-between breath, trying to soothe the pain as much as he can. Crimson blood had escaped his mouth, trailing down from the side of his lips. The pain on his stomach didn't lessen, instead it lingered and his whole body started to ache along.

"Guys, deal with him." Flippe ordered to the basketball player as he walked away.

Even though Roxas was free from the restraints, his body ached, refusing to move even an inch. All he could do was hugging his head protectively as the crowbars came slamming down.

The beating went on for 5 full minutes. The sharp, cold edges of the crowbars cut into his skin, fresh blood oozed from them. The cuts were everywhere. On his arms, legs, the side of his head and also on the skin that was exposed after the crowbar had shredded his shirt. Not only cuts, but bruises covered his injured body as well. Most of them had turned into a deep purple.

Roxas groaned in pain as he touched the side of his head, where a long cut reside, red blood stained his blonde hair and caked on his scalp and face as well. It was still flowing out blood, he could feel it running down the back of his neck, sending shivers up his spine. His vision swam due to the wound, making him dizzy and tired from fatigue and loss of blood.

It was after Flippe called off the basketball players before Roxas slowly uncurled himself, his body ached for rest.

Flippe Kellett walked towards the broken body of Roxas, amused with his current state. Roxas glared at him with hatred. "Done with your own sick amusement? Cause I definitely am."

"Just one more. One more, then everything's done." Flippe simply told him and motioned one of the basketball players to hold his right hand down to the ground.

"W-What? What are you planning to do, Flippe? !" Roxas tried to snatch his arm back, but his whole aching body seems to be arguing with him. He's just too tired… Both body and mind.

"Oh. You'll know in just a minute." Flippe walked over to him with a sturdy crowbar in hands. He stood behind his right arm, the weapon placed right beside his elbow.

Roxas craned his neck to look up to the brunette, questioning him once again between pant. "What are *pant* you doing?"

Flippe smiled evilly back at him. "Let's just say I want something to go 'crack'." Then, he lifted the crowbar.

"N-NO!"

It was too late. The crowbar swung down, like a golf club, towards Roxas's elbow. The hard impact made a loud sickening 'crack' before a blood-curdling scream followed.

"AAARRRGGGHHH! ! !"

Roxas hissed as the extreme pain from his broken arm started to spread and seem to intensify by the seconds. Roxas looked at his right arm and tried to move it, but he can't and the pain was starting to get very unbearable. Tears escaped from his eyes as he continued to gasp for air painfully. Never once did he experience such a pain before, not even from his sword fighting class! 'It's broken. It's definitely broken.' The only one thing he was somewhat glad about was the fact the broken bone didn't puncture through his skin and flesh. If that happened, under his current condition, he would surely die from blood loss, extreme pain and even shock itself.

Through his blurry vision, he saw Flippe and his minions had walked quite a good distance from him, nearing the edge of the clearing. As the basketball players disappeared into the dense trees and bushes, Flippe stopped in his path and said his threat. "If you tell anyone that it was us that did such thing to you, especially to the police and principle, don't bother to buy a pen anymore." Without another word, the brunette disappeared into the woods as well, leaving a seriously injured blonde lying on the bloodied ground to his fate.

Straining his ears, Roxas could hear a faint roar of an engine, then the sound of tires on rocky ground. After a few moments, the sounds got softer and softer, until there were none and the woods was quiet once again.

Roxas laid on the spot, not moving a muscle as he continued gasping for air. The pain wasn't as painful as when he tried to move his arm, but he knew he can't just lay there forever and not doing anything. He was alone in the woods now, no one's going to help him; he got to help himself. But now… He just felt so tired, his body wanted to rest; his eyes threatened to shut anytime. But is it safe for him to doze off for god knows how long? Would he be safe from any dangerous creatures that might live in these woods? Most importantly, will he wake up?

Roxas knew his cuts aren't serious -the one on the side of his head had clotted nicely too- and he doesn't have to worry much about blood loss since the broken bone didn't penetrate through the skin. But his arm and ankle need to be taken care off: lessening the pain, stop the swelling, checking for damaged tissues and such. And his cuts need to be disinfected, lying on a dusty ground doesn't really help.

Why…? Why does all this happen in the first place? Flippe Kellett still hasn't told him the answer. And he couldn't figure out his intention either. 'Beating him up to a pulp for his own amusement.' Can that really be his purpose of going through all the planning and lies? If he really wanted to beat him up, he can just simply grab him in school after school hour, dragged him to the men's changing room or behind the school building then beat him up. Flippe doesn't need to create a non-existing exhibition, blackmailed his friends, bring him out to the mountain then only beat him up. Too much work and careful consideration for something that doesn't need that extra effort.

What could it be then? Making him missed the singing competition? Could be… Now to think about it again, everything starts a day before the competition, and the fake exhibition was 'held' on the same time as the competition. Flippe wanted him to miss the competition for what? Back to the first guess: beating him? Does Flippe think that beating him up only is no fun, so he wanted to mess up his friendship with Xion too? Xion…

God… Flippe might have successfully messed up his friendship with Xion. He had missed the competition that he promised her he would go, and the worst thing is that he didn't apologize to her. What could Xion be doing right now? Had she gone out on stage and sang? Or is she still waiting for her turn? Did she won? Roxas hoped so, she had put so much hard work into that song of hers.

"Xion…" Roxas murmured her name as he stared up to the sky. He messed up. He had come to the conclusion that he had messed up. Even though majority of the cause of this is by Flippe, but he also played a role in it by falling into his goddamn trap.

Xion wouldn't be pleased. Heck, she must be furious and disappointed at him now! He was almost sure of it because if such things happened to him, he would react that way. "Xion…"

Once again… Why…? Why does such thing just have to happen in his life? Why does Flippe just have to go and possibly ruined the rest of his friendship today? Really? Why did he do all these for? WHY? !

Roxas couldn't take it anymore. The confusion, anger, regret, pain… They are all too much…

"Why…?"

A scene of him walking away from Xion, his back facing hers while she's looking at the theater entrance appeared in his mind.

"WHY…? !"

Being thrown out of the car, the revelation of his friends backstabbed him, then being beaten up to a bloody pulp without knowing the reason why. The events replayed in his mind.

"ARGH…!"

A scene of a giant Flippe looming over a small figure of him and Xion, whose hand tied together with a single red string. A sharp scissors in hand, the Devil cut the string with a single clean 'snap'.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ! !"

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Two screams filled the sky that day. Each from a different woods, from a different gender. However, there is one thing in common: the screams of pain were from the bottom of their hearts.

* * *

**That's the end of this chap. And my next school sem is shorter so I might be able to update faster than this, I think.**

**Thank you all for reading and if u like it; fav it, review it, alert it. Thank you.**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Flippe Kellett**

**Characters that have no surname so far:**

**Torue**

**Jarred**

**Ken & other History classmates **

**The 3 basketball players**


	16. Tears and Blood

**Alo everyone. I am back for an update. Very sorry for updating so late. I really can't have any more excuses. I hope this chapter would do some… justice? **

**I'll like to thanks****BlendInTheDarkness****, ****arkee****, ****NightfallSky****, ****darkwolf1126****, ****Flower5450****, ****violentyetawesome****, ****Takamira****, ****emmausgirl94****, ****Magikbyrd****, ****Starowner****, ****LunaClefairy****, ****amazoness23****, ****KC-Chan13****,****khdayskh1314****, ****xion****, ****NinjaxSketcheartx****, ****M-North****, an ****anonymous reviewer**** who stayed up late to review, ****Riley-Hell's-Princess****, ****Easy2Hurt****, ****Topaz Miuki****, ****KeyToOblivion****, ****PooperScooper000****, ****Random Reader****, ****Dom****, ****Cutiepiepo2****, ****ShrillKillerdog****, ****jgodinkitty**** and ****Ookami04**** for reviewing in this story! Thank you all!**

**Next is the people who reviewed the previous chapter. Thank you ****ShrillKillerdog, ****Riley-Hell's-Princess****, ****khdayskh1314****, ****jgodinkitty****, ****Takamira**** and ****Ookami04****! Sorry for making you guys wait.**

**Thirdly, I would like to thank the people who fav the story! Thank you,****emmausgirl94****, ****Flower5450****, ****violentyetawesome****, ****Takamira****, ****RSV****, ****Magikbyrd****, ****amazoness23****, ****JohnKat** **lover67****,****KC-Chan13****,****Animated Music Drawer****,****khdayskh1314****,****NinjaxSketcheartx****, ****ShadowofaHeart****, ****Titania queen of fairys****, ****Topaz Miuki****, ****Easy2Hurt****, ****kingdom hearts lover17****, ****PooperScooper000****, ****KHWriter . com****, ****Roxas1094,****tghn****, ****ShrillKillerdog****, ****XxXionXRoxasxX****, ****jgodinkitty**** and ****Ookami04****! LOVE YOU!**

**Fourthly, the people who alert. Thank you****emmausgirl94****, ****violentyetawesome****, ****animearlinefreak****, ****Takamira****, ****RSV****, ****Starowner****(u r not in the list anymore, but i put u in anyway), ****khdayskh1314, Riley-Hell's-Princess****, ****TheSpiritOfSnow****,****NinjaxSketcheartx****, ****RavenGoesToHeaven****, ****OneMoreThanThis****, ****Topaz Muiki****, ****Maethorelen****, ****Purple Shadow Wolf****, ****PooperScooper000****, ****HeartsMockingjay****, ****FirePhoniex12****, ****KHWriter . com****, ****Roxas1094****, ****tghn****, ****ShrillKillerdog****, ****XxXionXRoxasxX****, ****jgodinkitty**** and ****Ookami04****! Thank you guys!**

**Finally, all the loyal readers! Thank you for continue reading my stories despite the very slow update. Thank you once again!**

**Please, do enjoy and sorry for any um... dissatisfaction at any point. To tell the truth, my writing has been quite strange lately; I didn't feel like my usual writing self. Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 16: Tears and Blood

Axel fumbled through the kitchen cabinets as he searched for something to munch on before he continued his college assignments in his bedroom. His part-time job boss was strangely nice to him today and let him go 2 hours earlier. Now, he was alone in the house, waiting for his little sister to come home so he can ask her how the competition went and what had she won.

The tall spiky redhead pulled out a packet of cheese crackers when he heard the front door opened and shut closed. Axel turned to the front porch curiously. Who could it be? Xion should still be having the competition, dad is at work, and mom is having a lesson on embroidery until later 6pm. Who could be home this early? Hearing neither footsteps nor any sounds, Axel placed the crackers down and went to investigate. If this is a thief, he sure is bold enough to enter via the front door.

He walked out of the kitchen and saw a figure standing quietly at the front porch, head hung low and hands by its side. Axel raised an eyebrow as he looked at the person before him. "Xion?"

The raven-haired girl flinched slightly from her dear brother's voice before looking up to meet his eyes. Axel swore his heart cracked when he saw her face. Her cheeks were wet with tears, eyes still watering and puffy, nose slightly red. She looked like a kicked puppy. When Axel noticed his sister let out a small sob and a fresh tear rolled down her face, his brother instinct kicked in as he knelt down and hugged her gently before she broke down into another fit of crying.

Axel continued hugging his sister, patting the back of her head, mumbling comforting words softly as he let her cry. After a few minutes, the crying subdued and Xion had relaxed. Still hugging his sister, Axel asked, "You want to talk about it, Xion?"

Xion sniffed twice before shaking her head, which was buried into Axel's collarbone, soaking his red shirt with her tears.

Axel let out a small sigh as he continued patting the back of Xion's head softly, "Okay. Do you need anything then? Some milk and crackers like back when you're young?"

Xion would have giggled at what Axel said as it had brought back good childhood memories. But… She was too heartbroken to do it… Cause a certain blonde boy still nested in her head. However, the ravenette was able to give her brother a slight nod.

"Let's go back to your room first. I'll bring the food up later. Can you walk?" Axel asked as he slowly unwrapped his arms from Xion; fearing that she would crumble down by another emotion breakdown if he breaks the hug too quickly.

The silent girl nodded her head again and started walking towards the stairs to her room after her brother laid a hand securely on her shoulder, guiding and balancing her at the same time.

After entering Xion's room, Axel watched her plopped down onto her bed before telling her he is going to get the food she requested. With the nod he got from her, Axel silently close the door, went down to the kitchen, and opened the packet of crackers he had found earlier. After arranged the crackers nicely onto a plate and poured a glass of cold milk, Axel was about to head upstairs when a deafening crash of shattering glasses followed by a loud terrified chirp from Chobi pierced into his ears. His blood ran cold.

'W-What? What happened? !' Abandoned the food on the counter, Axel ran out of the kitchen and up the stair two steps at a time, towards the source of the sounds: Xion's bedroom. "Xion! Xion! You alright? ! Xion!"

The tall redhead called out as he ran towards the door and pulled it wide open. He wasn't expecting to see the sight before him: Her room was a complete mess.

The pillow was thrown to a far corner, the bed sheets were all tangled together. The chair had fallen and landed onto its side. All the items on the desk have been toppled over and handful of them even ended up on the floor. The calendar also has been shredded into million pieces that now littered the floor. How could he not heard all of these commotion downstairs? !

Finally, he noticed the source of the broken glasses. Lies in shards, was a photo frame of Xion and Roxas, both at a carnival that held a few months back. Another thing he noticed was the fact that that is the only destroyed photo frame out of the 5 photo frames she kept on her bookshelf. Something was seriously going on…

Glance around the room once more, he saw Xion huddling up against a wall opposite of where the photo frame was flung to, weeping into her knees. Be cautious of the small glass shards, Axel advanced towards his sister and hugged her, feeling her uncurled and cried into his collarbone again.

After a few minutes, Xion's crying came to a soft sob and sniffs. Without any other words, Axel lifted her up and placed her onto her bed. Untangled the sheets and covered the blanket onto the slightly trembling girl. Grabbing the pillow and the fallen chair, he went back to the bedside and put the pillow under Xion's head. After making sure she was in a comfortable position, Axel sat down onto the chair beside her bed.

Xion was the first to break the 5 minutes silence between them. "S-Sorry A-Axel… *sniff*"

Axel gave her a small warm smile. "It's okay, sis. You're just… sad. That's all."

Xion pulled the blanket closer to her as she nodded. "Ya… Just… Sad…"

"Xion… Do you want to tell me what is wrong? What I can do to help?"

The ravenette shook her head. "It's nothing, Axel… Nothing…"

As much as he wanted to get the answer, Axel didn't pry. "Okay Xi. Go to sleep. You must be tired."

Xion nodded as she curled up like a shrimp. Before she shut her eyes, she said, "Axel…"

"Hmm?"

"Don't let Roxas come in. Don't ever. Promise?"

Axel nodded his head slightly; he had expected that request as he can felt some complication between the two teens when he saw the broken photo frame. Well, it doesn't need a genius to figure that out actually. "I will not let him in, Xi. I promise. Now, get some shut eyes, okay?"

The ravenette nodded her head before snuggling into her pillow and closed her eyes. Not long later, Xion had drifted off to her slumber land and not once Axel moved his gaze off her before she fell asleep. He was afraid she might do something… unthinkable.

Getting off the chair, Axel looked around the trashed room again. He need to clean up the glass shards and maybe take the photo as well, tidied up the desk and find a new calendar for his sister before she wakes up. He was sure he has many things to do in his hands.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

Roxas stirred in his sleep, only to felt a sharp pain emitted from his right hand, shoot down his spine and soon his whole body ached along. Gasping in short sharp breaths, his blue eyes snapped wide open; his conscious was roughly pulled out from his dreamless nap as the painful reality kicked in.

After the pain slowly lessened, Roxas was able to breathe in a normal rate and calmed himself down. Where was he? Argh… His head hurt… So were his arm, body and ankle... Everywhere! Why…?

Soon, the memories of what happened earlier recollected back in his mind. 'Oh ya… It's because of that bastard of a Devil…' Roxas cursed softly then tried to prop himself up by using his left hand. His injured right hand protested painfully at every movement, but Roxas bit it back until he was sitting upright. His body ached as he continued gasping hungrily for air, hoping the cold air would lessen the burning heat in his body. Roxas wondered: his body is still wearied out, despite the short nap he took, how could he go back to town without fainting halfway?

"God… I have to get back… I have to get back. To Xion…" Oddly for him, that thought was managed to give him enough strength to stand up to his good foot. However, right after he stood up, he lost his balance and found himself hopping and wobbling to a random direction. Panicking, Roxas grabbed onto a low tree branch quickly once he was closed to the trees that surrounds the clearing he was in.

Calming his fast beating heart, Roxas looked at his major injuries. A twisted left ankle and a broken right arm (which he didn't dare to bend as the breakage could be at the elbow and any harsh movement might risk the broken bone penetrate his flesh and skin; thus causing more damage).

"Sh*t…" Roxas wasn't one to swear, he always tried to hold them back and faced his difficulties as mature as he can. However, in this situation, he just wanted to let it out. He had two serious injuries, both at a different side of his body. He would find difficulties on walking without falling and wobbling like what he did only a moment earlier.

He couldn't support himself and walked using two makeshift crutches as one arm itself is injured. He didn't have a choice but to use a crutch or a cane with his left arm only. However, since his left ankle was injured, walking with his right leg with a support that came from his left side would surely be troublesome. However, like what he thought, he didn't have any other choices. He was alone here; only he can help himself now.

Roxas scanned the woods ground for any suitable branches and soon found one. With many difficulties later, he was able to pick it up and examined the height: it was a bit taller than his shoulder, but the branch was thick and sturdy enough to support his weight.

"Good… Now, I just need something to strap my arm…" Scanning and kicking the leafy ground for another few minutes, the blonde found 4 tree sticks which are about the same length with each other as well as some crawling plants that have a thick stem.

Gathering all the materials and his little knowledge on first aid, he slowly set himself to sit onto the ground beside his dumped school bag before he set to work.

With the advantage of being a dual-wielder, Roxas was able to create simple straps around his injured right arm with the sticks and leafless stem to act as bar and ropes respectively.

After tightening the knot, Roxas examined at his handiwork and let a smile grew on his face. At least with the straps on, he didn't have to worry much for his arm. "Okay… I wonder if I can call anyone for help from here." Roxas searched his pocket and soon took out his cell phone. It wasn't damaged, and Roxas silently thanked god for that. However, when he tried to use it, his cell phone didn't response. The screen remained black no matter how many times Roxas pressed the buttons, hoping it would light up. The blonde was left confused.

'Did it break during the fight? Or maybe the battery's finished?' Just then, he remembered. Back during lunch, one of the History class students borrowed his cell phone, and he didn't check it when he got it back. 'He used up my battery? Or did he…?'

Roxas flipped his phone over and used his left hand to open up the back cover. Just as he guessed: His phone battery was gone. "Damn it!" The blonde swore then assembled the back cover back onto his phone. This all must be part of Flippe's plan as well, so he couldn't call for help and no one would be able to reach him too. Roxas let out a frustrated sigh then slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Chill, Roxas… Have to get out of here first. Okay. If I just keep my ankle up, it should be fine." Sliding his school bag onto his good shoulder, Roxas grabbed hold of the makeshift walking stick, and pulled himself off the ground.

"I guess I'm good to go." With that, the blonde set off, back to Twilight Town.

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"Seriously, are we even on the right trail? We have been in these mountains for almost an hour." A blue-haired woman asked her companion as they drove on the dusty road, rocks kicking up by the wheels and low branches slightly scratched the car's windows. There was no other car or people other than them on the road. And the woman is getting worried.

"We are fine, Aqua. I trust my guts, and my guts say we're on the right trail." A brown-haired man replied to the woman who sat nervously beside him on the passenger seat.

"Are you sure? It's getting late, and if your guts are wrong about the direction, we'll miss a day visiting Ven." The woman -Aqua- said as she stared out of the window, hoping to spot anyone who can give them answer of their current location and maybe even some directions.

"Ven would be fine. He's a strong kid." The man turned slightly to look at his girlfriend. "And I promise, we'll be at the hospital before the visiting hour is finished. Twilight Hospital's visiting hour is until 11pm, if my memory served me correctly. So, no need to worry too much."

Aqua turned and smiled at the man. "I hope you are right, Terra. And do watch the road. We don't want to end up in the hospital ourselves."

Terra let out a hearty laugh. "Okay, madam." He turned his attention back onto the road and Aqua did the same to the view outside.

Aqua Kastella, a beautiful woman in her late-20s, a Master on Sword Fighting and also hold the reputation of being one of the top trainers on Sword Fighting around the world. Currently, she is a trainer in a school called Radiant Left, which located in Hallow Bastion. In a week's time, 10 of her top students would have a competition with the students of Twilight Starz in Twilight Town. She is very excited for the competition, but for now, she was more worried of one of her longtime friends' health condition.

The man on the driver's seat is her 1 and a half yearlong boyfriend as well as one of her longtime friends. His name is Terra Monde, just started his 30s year and is currently working as an apprentice to both of their sword master: Master Eraque.

Since today is Friday, the both of them decided to visit their friend Ventus, who was currently staying in Twilight Town's hospital, fighting a yearlong coma. Now, they're on the mountain trail, heading towards the town of orange bricks.

Aqua looked out to the trees, admiring their lustrous green and how the lights shone through them. Just then, she saw a back view of a person at a far distance. The person could be around Ventus's height, or shorter if Ven had grown in his sleep. He has a strangely familiar hair color and hairstyle, which suddenly caused Aqua to be uncomfortable. He was wearing something like a school uniform, but was mottled with brown dirt and red stains that was also too disturbingly familiar to her.

When the car was getting closer, she noticed the school shirt was shredded in some area and the teen's spiky hair was matted with leaves, dirt and the same red substance. Then, she took notice of a long stick that was used to act like a support, the boy's raised left ankle and finally, the makeshift straps on his right arm. Another point that had her worried was the fact that the teenage boy was limping and wobbling slightly; as if he could faint and fall down any seconds.

As the car got closer and closer to him, Aqua saw him stopped in his trail and turned back towards them. She gasped when she saw his face. That face feature… And those…. Those blue eyes…

'V-Ven? Ventus? !' Aqua almost screamed when they gotten closer and she got an even closer look at that boy's battered face. As they drove by the teen, Aqua noticed that the boy had tried to call out to them, but he failed halfway -and just like what Aqua feared-, lost his balance and fell onto the dusty ground. The long stick he used as a support broke into half by the impact and the pained scream emitted from the boy sent chills down Aqua's spine. He even sounds like Ven…

"S-Stop. Stop the car, Terra! Stop the car!" Aqua commanded to Terra, but her gaze didn't left the injured boy on the ground.

Terra gave his girlfriend a sideway curious look. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I saw Ven! Stop the car!" Aqua demanded again, giving the man a distressed look before she turned to look at the boy again.

"W-What? Qua, Ven is in the hospital. He can't b-" Terra's sentence was cut short by the enraged and very worried bluenette.

"Just stop the car! Now!"

Too scared to fight back and didn't want to anger his girlfriend furthermore, Terra quickly pulled the car into a stop at the side of the road. Aqua hurriedly exited the car and ran back to where they came from, towards the teenager who is still on the ground, whimpering in pain.

"Oh my god, oh my god. Are you alright, Ven?" Aqua knelt down beside him, removing the sharp edges of the broken stick away from the boy to prevent any new wounds before helping him up gently. Now she knew why those red stains on his clothes and hair looked so familiar. Been a trainer on sword fighting for almost a decade, both sight and sharp scent of the red liquid is unmistakable. Blood...

Once the teen was back standing on his good foot, he thanked the woman who was by his side, supporting him with her arms. "Thank you, miss… But… I'm not Ven…"

Aqua softly scolded herself for such a silly mistake. 'Of course he isn't Ven. He just looks like him. A lot. God, Aqua… What have your mind played with you?'

Suddenly, Terra showed up near by them. "Aqua, why did you say you saw Ve-" When the man's eyes laid upon the teenager's face, his mouth hang opened in shock. "V-Ven?"

The Ven-look-alike looked at the man for a while before he replied, "Um… No. I'm not Ven. My name is Roxas. Roxas Hikari."

'Roxas Hikari? This name is so familiar…' Aqua thought to herself, trying to remember where she had read or heard that name before.

"O-Of course. Sorry, Roxas. You just looked awfully identical to one of our friends." Terra apologized before he noticed the condition the boy was in. "Are you alright, Roxas? You are in a very bad shape. What happened?"

The teenage boy –Roxas– hesitated (or was he just catching back his breaths?) before he answered, "I-I… My school's bullies attacked me. They tricked me and brought me out here before they beat me up." Roxas let out a shaky breath before he continued, "I-I… I really shouldn't say this…"

"It's going to be okay. We'll figure something out. However, we need to bring you to the hospital first." Aqua quickly scanned his injuries again before telling her companion, "Reverse the car quickly. He needs medical attention before anything could get worst."

Terra nodded his head and quickly ran back to the car without another word. Aqua turned to the panting teen beside her and asked, "How long have these injuries been? And where do you live?"

Roxas gave his dry and cracked lips a lick before answering, "30 minutes? An hour? I'm not quite sure. I kinda fainted after being beaten, and I think I have been walking for almost 20 minutes. And, I lived in Twilight Town. It's not far from here. By car, that is."

Aqua gave Roxas a warm smile. "It's alright. You seem to have done a little first-aid work on your broken arm, so it isn't in a critical condition. And we're heading to Twilight Town as well; in fact, we're going to the hospital, so we can help you out."

Just when she finished, Terra stopped the car right in front of them, got out then opened the backseat door for Roxas to get in. Aqua joined Roxas the back so she could treat his swelling ankle with the small first aid box she stored in the car to lessened the pain.

With the direction confirmed by Roxas, Terra drove towards the town faster than the speed he was driving earlier. Aqua was glad the ride wasn't bumpy so she was able to patch Roxas up with ease.

Aqua had picked off all the leaves in Roxas's hair and strapped his broken arm firmer with bandages. Then, she sprayed his twisted ankle with an ice spray before bandaging his leg from the toes to his mid-calf to apply pressure; hoping to lessen the swelling.

"Do you know why your school's bullies beat you?" Aqua asked after the blonde boy had raised his left leg up and rested it on the hand rest of the front passenger seat.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know. Their intention is a mystery to me. But, I do have a few guesses…"

"You have to tell this to the principle. Those bullies have to be responsible for this."

"N-No. It's fine. I'm… Too scared they might attack again. They had threatened me earlier that if I tell the principle, they will come again… I don't want to risk it. They might hurt my friends too."

"But this is wrong. They have to get pun-"

"I'll think about it. Maybe I will tell the principle, but not now… They would most likely watching my every move. I have to play safe for now…"

"Okay then… So, Roxas. Which school in Twilight Town do you study in?" Aqua changed the subject.

Roxas adjusted to a more comfortable position before answering, "I study at Twilight Starz. I'm 17 years old."

"Ah. I see. Oh. I forgot to properly introduce myself. My name is Aqua Kastella, a sword fighting trainer. And my friend here." She pointed to Terra. "Named Terra Monde, also a sword fighting trainer, but more on the apprentice side."

Terra gave the blonde a simple smile via the rearview mirror and a warm 'hello'. Roxas returned the 'hello' before turning his head to Aqua, his eyes were wider in surprise. "Y-You're… You're Aqua Kastella? As in _the_ Aqua Kastella? The sword fighting master?"

Aqua smiled. "Yes, yes I am. I'm happy to know someone like you know me."

Roxas grinned in such happiness; Aqua thought he looks like a 7 years old who got his wanted gift on the first day of Christmas. "O-Of course! You're one of my inspirations! I have always admired how you can fight so gracefully yet deadly! Oh my God… No wonder I thought you were familiar when I saw you just now."

"Ah~ A sword fighting fan, I presume?"

The blonde nodded. "Yup! In fact, I'm learning sword fighting as well!"

Aqua's eyes glistered in interest. "Oh. You learn it in your school?"

Another nod. Suddenly, the sparks in the boy's eyes disappeared and he slumped in his seat.

"What's with the sudden change? Something unpleasant came to mind?" Aqua asked.

Roxas gave her a small before continuing, "Ya, I guess. I just remembered that my school would be having a sword fighting competition in a week… I can't participate in it anymore. *sigh* I was looking forward to it as well. I have always wanted to have a duel with the students from Radiant Leaf, but it seems like all of those just went downhill."

The Sword Fighting Master felt pitiful by the news, and the defeated look on the already battered face of the blonde before her only making the small pain in her chest worst. He looked like Ventus in so many places… It's like he is Ventus himself. And Aqua doesn't like it when someone who is closest being her brother is sad. "You know, I'm the trainer from Radiant Leaf."

A small sparks rekindled in the blonde's eyes once more. "R-Really?"

Aqua nodded then offered, "Yes. And I can bring you to the school and meet my students once you recovered. I believe they would be interested to have a friendly duel with the best dual-wielder of Twilight Starz."

Roxas grinned wilder at the fascinating offer. "Really? Oh sweet Kingdom Hearts! That would be great! Can I really? OMG. You even know me?"

Aqua continued to smile. "Yes. I'll do the planning. And of course I know you, you're one of the popular talks among my female students you know. Apart from the other guy by the name 'Riku'." Aqua giggled softly when she imagined how her students would react when she announce that Roxas Hikari would be coming over to their school. "So, get well soon and inform me once you are capable of fighting again, okay?"

"Definitely! Thank you so much, Master Aqua!" Roxas said happily and Aqua could felt warmth fill her chest.

"Oh please, save the formality and just call me Aqua." The bluenette said just before Terra cut in, "We're nearing the town's entrance now."

"Oh. That was quick. We'll get you a doctor very soon, Ro-"

"Wait! Stop the car! Please!" The sudden shout from the boy next to her shocked the two adults in the car.

Aqua looked at him oddly, "Why Roxas? You don't want to see a doctor? You can hardly walk."

Roxas shook his head. "N-No. It's not that. I just have to do something first. Please stop the car, quick."

"We're still by the woods, Roxas. What could you possibly do here?" Terra asked, but did slow down the car speed in case the boy suddenly decides to open the door and jump out.

"I'll explain later. Just stop, please." Terra did what he was requested.

As the two adults watched, the boy got out of the car and up a small trail and into the woods, all just by hopping on his good leg. Aqua felt worried for him once more. "I should go with him. In case anything happened, I can help him. Stay with the car, would you dear? I'll call you if I need anything."

Terra gave her a nod. "Sure thing. Go, before you lose sight of him.

The bluenette nodded and exited the car. Catching up to a hopping teenager wouldn't be hard, right?

~*~*~Sing Me A Song~*~*~

"Ding Dong. Ding Dong. Ding Dong. Ding Dong. Ding Dong." The doorbell rang loudly and franticly as if someone is demanding to get the household's attention as fast as they can. Axel looked up from his thick textbook and wondered who could be in such a hurry. Glancing over the bed near where he sat, he found his sister still sleeping soundly from the loud rackets downstairs. Placed his book down onto Xion's study table, Axel stood up and stretched before exited the room.

"Coming~! Please stop ringing the bell." Axel cried out as he descended the stairs, not liking the fact the extra 3 door rings might wake his sister up.

After unlocking the front door, Axel swung it open. Once again, he saw a sight he never thought he would see in his life. In front of him stood one of his best friends, covering in dirt, blood and sweat. His uniform was shredded, his face was beat up badly and numerous cuts covered his arms and body. Roxas was panting loudly and deeply, his left hand held onto the doorframe for support. Axel then noticed the bandaged right arm and left ankle.

Why the hell is Roxas in such a bad condition? !

"Roxas! What the hell happened to you? !" Axel asked worriedly and placed a hand on his right arm, wanting to help his friend to balance correctly. However, a hiss of pain from the blonde made him withdrew back. He knew at that point, that arm is broken.

"A-Axel. *pant pant* Where's Xion?" Roxas asked as he leaned onto the doorframe, his body was clearly exhausted from whatever event that got him into such a bad shape.

"She's in her room. Hey hey hey! Wait. What are you doing?" Axel exclaimed as he blocked the doorway before Roxas could get into the foyer.

"I have to *pant* see her. I need to tell her something, Axel. *pant*" Roxas tried to get passed the tall redhead again, but failed.

Axel gently guided the blonde out to the porch then told him, "Sorry Roxas. But I can't let you in. Xion's request."

"Xion's request? ! Oh no no no…. No… He really screwed this up… Please, Axel. Let me in, I have to clear things up." Roxas pleaded him, but what he had promised, he had to keep it.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. But Xion is really _really_ depress. She needs some space, and so I suggest you don't get near to her so fast yet. Give her some time." Axel explained. He hoped he can help Roxas, but his sister was his first priority now. Family comes first in his book, even though the sight of Roxas –who he also considered like a younger brother- in front of him was another heartbreaking sight; just like his sister's.

Roxas shook his head then banged on the doorframe with his hand in anger. Axel could hear him mumbling, but couldn't quite catch what he said except for 'Devil' and 'ruined'. What could those two related to anything that happened between him and Xion?

Roxas looked back up at Axel, and pleaded once more. "Please, Axel… Let me see her… *pant*"

Axel bit on his bottom lip then shook his head again. "Roxas… I really can't le-"

"Please! I don't want it to end like this! *cough*" Right after the outburst, Roxas suddenly bent over and started to have a heavy coughing session, a pained expression pasted on his face.

"Roxas! Roxas, you alright?" Axel panicked and bent down to his height, smothering Roxas's back, hoping it would help him to stop.

Roxas had no hand to cover his mouth with as he coughed, since his good hand was supporting him up by the doorframe. So, when Axel saw the deep red splat on his house' front porch, his blood ran cold once more. "R-Roxas. Oh my god."

Roxas gave out one last cough, created another blood splat onto the floor before his legs started to fail him and his body collapsed. "Roxas!"

Right before the fainted blonde dropped onto the hard ground, Axel had managed to grab him by his shoulder and slowly set him down, continuing calling his name. "Roxas! Roxas, can you hear me? Rox!"

The blonde stayed motionless, a small trail of blood kept flowing from the side of his mouth slowly, dying Axel's white shirt a red circle where his head was rested on. Axel quickly checked his breathing and his pulse, which both still exist, but in a horrifying huge gap in between.

What should he do? Roxas needs to see a doctor immediately but he couldn't leave his sleeping sister alone in the house as well. What should he do? !

"Roxas!"

Axel looked up to the new voice, which was from a blue-haired woman who just exited the woods and now running towards them. "Who are you, lady? And how you know Roxas?" Axel asked when she got closer to them.

The bluenette panted and stopped in front of them before answering. "I'm Aqua Kastella. I found this boy walking alone at the mountain trail in such condition. I was about to bring him to the hospital, but he said he has something to do first. I was trying to catch up to him, but I lose sight of him among the trees. Now, who are you and what happened to Roxas?"

Straight to the point, huh? Good, cause there was no time for chitchat. "The name's Axel Zayas. A good friend of Roxas. We had a little argument before he started coughing out blood. I believe he had overtired his body and fainted. He needs medical attention quickly. His breathing is very shallow."

The woman nodded and offered, "I'll bring him to the hospital; I already have a car waiting for me at the roadside." Aqua knelt down and carried Roxas up bridal style. Man, she is strong for a woman. "Would you be joining us?"

Axel wanted to shout 'Yes!', seeing his best friend in such a dire condition had him worried sick! But… He can't leave his sister here alone. She needed company, plus, who knows what she might do if she is left alone. "Sorry, I can't. I have a sibling in the house and I can't leave her alone. But." Axel quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from the nearby house telephone, he noted down his cell phone number and handed it to the woman. "Call me once he's in good hands. And I would like you to fill me in the details later as well."

The woman took the paper and nodded. "I will. Don't worry, I believe he's strong. He will be fine."

"Yeah. Me too."

"I'll be on my way then." Aqua bowed her head slightly as a sign of goodbye then ran back into the woods, towards the main road to town.

Axel groaned then scratched his head in frustration and fear. Would Roxas be okay? Can he really trust that woman in the first place? If she is _the_ Kastella he heard of, then he is able to trust her. But Roxas. Oh God… What happened to him?

Glancing down, he saw the puddles of Roxas's blood. The sight of it made his stomach churned. He should clean it before anyone else saw it. Grabbing the watering can, Axel filled water to the brim and washed the liquid away quickly, watching the soil absorbed the diluted blood. Without the blood on the porch made everything seems better even just by a tad bit, but it wasn't enough to settle the sick feeling in his stomach.

Axel re-entered the house, walking towards the laundry room while taking his bloodstained white shirt off. Just before he threw it into the hamper, he saw the red shirt he wore earlier that was soaked with Xion's tears. Picking it up, he held the shirt in each of his hand, side by side.

A shirt stained with tears, and another stained with blood.

What can he do to help both of his best friends now?

* * *

**That's the end of this chap, lovely people. Remember to review, fav or/and alert if ya like it. Come on people! Let's reach my first 100 reviews together! ! !**

**********Below are the characters' ****full name**** who appears in this chapter :**

**********Axel Zayas**

**Xion Zayas**

**Roxas Hikari**

**Aqua Kastella**

**Terra Monde**

**See you next chap! Thank you for reading!**


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